So Far Away
by ashlynnb14
Summary: Scarlett is sent away for the summer to find a father she's never known. When things get bad, will it break her or will she grow stronger from it in the long run? This is an AU that takes place about 5 years prior to Season 1 All SOA characters and places belong to Kurt Sutter, only my characters and creations belong to me. Rated T but there is strong language.
1. Chapter 1

"Momma, I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" Scarlett Jensen said as she looked up from her birth certificate to her mother. This was the first time she had ever seen it. She'd never had a reason or desire to see it before, and now, of all days, her mother was hitting her with all type of information she'd never asked for. She took of her graduation robe and hat, tossing them onto her bed as her mom just sat in the chair in the corner.

"Scarlett, you needed to know before it was too late. You're going to stay with him this summer and then you can come back when your college classes start. This isn't something that's up for debate." Mariah Jensen said to the ball of anger that was her eighteen-year-old daughter. She smiled weakly as the last light of the setting sun caught Scarlett's auburn hair through the window.

In some ways, it felt like she was looking in a mirror back in time. They had the same long, auburn hair and freckles, and even their smile was the same. Other than that though, Scarlett looked a lot like her father. She was tall and tan, just like him. But, what really made Mariah remember her short time with Scarlett's father were her eyes.

"Momma, I'm supposed to stay here and spend time with my friends and Johnny before he goes off to training camp. Why are you doing this to me?" Scarlett screamed at her mother as she yanked a suitcase down from the top of the closet. As angry as she was with her mother, she knew she wouldn't win the argument, so she may as well start packing.

"Scarlett, do you have any idea how many people here would kill to go to California for a summer? Most people don't even make it up to Atlanta and you want to complain about spending a couple months with your father on the West Coast?" Mariah asked, rolling her eyes at the stubbornness that she had certainly inherited from her other parent. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to fill her lungs with air before Scarlett could notice how bad she was feeling.

It had been a year since she was diagnosed with lung cancer and the chemo had stopped working about six months ago. That's when Mariah reached out to Scarlett's father. It had been a shock to him, not only hearing from Mariah, but learning that he had a daughter. After a couple months of late night arguments and planning, he had finally agreed to have Scarlett come out and stay with him. Mariah felt a little bad about playing the cancer card, but she had to make sure he would agree.

Mariah watched as Scarlett threw clothes into two big suitcases that were lying on the bed. She felt tears welling in her eyes as she stood to leave. No matter how much planning went into this, she still wasn't ready to say goodbye to her daughter. There were so many secrets she had kept from her to keep her happy. Now, it was all coming together.

Scarlett watched as her mother walked out of her room without a word. She couldn't help but be mad at her. Regardless of the plans she'd had with her boyfriend before he went to football training for the University of Georgia or the fact that she'd planned a road trip with her girlfriends, Scarlett was most upset that Mariah had lied about who her father was.

Ever since she was little, her mom had told her that her father had been someone she met on spring break in Panama. She'd said it was a fling and that he'd died in a car accident before Scarlett was ever born. Now, she learned that her father was actually some guy who lived out West and that Mariah had met him when she was modeling in San Francisco.

Scarlett slammed the suitcases shut and slid down into the floor, staring at her birth certificate. She'd asked her mom for a picture of her dad, to which Mariah had laughed, saying that he wasn't big on pictures. Scarlett didn't see how that was so funny, but ever since the chemo had stopped the cancer from growing, Mariah had been happier and had a better since of humor. Scarlett sighed and smiled a little. At least if she had to jet off to California in the morning, she knew her mom would be okay here.

The cell phone on Scarlett's dresser started going off, jolting her out of her thoughts. She jumped up and grabbed it, smiling at her best friend's name and picture on the screen.

"Hey, Megan! What time are you wanting me to pick you up?" Scarlett said, grabbing her purse from the iron hook on the wall. She had a feeling Megan was more than ready to get the after-party started.

"Now would be great! Is Johnny meeting us there?" Megan asked, her tone dropping a little when she mentioned Johnny. Scarlett walked out of her room and closed the door behind her before jogging down the wide staircase leading to the front door.

"Yeah, he's just having dinner with his family first." Scarlett said, ignoring her best friend's suspicious tone for the fifteenth time that day. She stopped by the parlor when she saw her Mom sitting there with a glass of sweet tea.

"I'll be over in about ten minutes." Scarlett said, ending the call with Megan before walking up to Mariah. "I'm sorry about yelling at you, Momma."

"Hush, Scarlett, I should have told you before. Go have fun tonight. Just be careful." She said with a smile and a knowing expression. Scarlett blushed and gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before running out to her Jeep. Mariah looked after her and took another drink of tea before heading up to bed.

"Megan, if you don't hurry up I'm going to leave your ass." Scarlett yelled up the stairs to her friend that was being annoyingly slow at getting ready. She sighed and took a seat on the stairs, laughing a little at how similar she and Megan's houses were. They both grew up as little Southern Belle's in their big plantation houses in a tiny, South Georgia town, even competing in pageants together when they were younger.

"Hey, Scarlett. She tell you she was ready before you came over?" Megan's mom Lisa asked, sitting down beside Scarlett. Lisa and Mariah had been best friends since their daughters started preschool together. Scarlett considered her to be a second mom sometimes.

"Yeah, tricky little witch." Scarlett said with a laugh until she noticed Lisa's look. "What?"

"Are you going to tell Megan tonight?" Lisa asked with a frown. Obviously, Mariah had told Lisa what was going on at some point. Scarlett frowned and nodded just as Megan hurried down the stairs in cut off shorts and cowboy boots.

"What's wrong with you two? We graduated! Stop looking so damn down." Megan said with her normal southern twang. Scarlett looked away from Lisa quickly as she jumped up to let Megan by. If you didn't know the girls better, you would have thought they planned their outfits together that afternoon. In reality, they just always partied in cut-offs, boots, and some type of short top. Much to Lisa and Mariah's objections, which usually referenced back to poofy dresses and glittery heels from pageants.

"Y'all be careful and no drinking if you're driving." Lisa called as the girls rushed out of the door. They didn't hear, but knew the drill by now. Scarlett hopped up in the driver's seat and flew down the driveway once Megan was belted in.

"So, do you think Caleb will be there tonight?" Megan asked as Scarlett drove out towards the Johnson farm where there was a big bonfire tonight. She looked over at Megan and laughed.

"It's his party, Meg. I'm pretty sure he'll be here." She said as she pulled in to the long, gravel driveway leading to the part of the farm that always had bonfires and parties. She hit a rut and laughed as both she and Megan bounced up towards the top of the Jeep. "Glad I took the top off now."

Megan just glared over at Scarlett, all too fed up with her normal bat out of hell driving speeds. She was about to laugh when Scarlett locked up the brakes, skidding the Jeep forward across the now dirt drive.

"The hell are you trying. Oh. Shit." Megan said as she looked at Scarlett before following her gaze. Scarlett was staring at her boyfriend, Johnny and a short, blonde girl lit up in the Jeep's headlights. They were oblivious to being caught, so they kept making out up against Johnny's truck. Megan looked back over at Scarlett and swallowed hard.

Megan loved Scarlett to death and considered her a sister, but she could be down right scary if you actually managed to piss her off. Megan recognized this as one of those times immediately. Scarlett parked beside another Jeep down the drive from Johnny's truck without a word.

She was fuming as she hopped down from the Jeep and headed towards the blazing bonfire where almost the whole graduating class was milling around dancing to music and drinking beers. Scarlett heard Megan jogging up behind her and slowed down, remembering how much longer her legs were than Megan's.

"Hey! Scarlett, Megan, y'all made it!" Caleb Johnson said, walking over and handing them both bottles of beer. Scarlett downed hers quickly as Megan gave Caleb a quick hug. They milled around and socialized for a while, though Scarlett wasn't much in the mood for talking at the moment. They were sitting on the tailgate of Caleb's new Ford Raptor when Johnny came waltzing up to Scarlett.

"Hey baby, I saw your Jeep. You should have called and let me know you were here." Johnny said, running his hands up from Scarlett's bare knees to her hips. She snarled at him and finished off her second beer.

"Yeah? Don't know if you would have answered with your tongue down that blonde's throat or not." Scarlett growled at him. She heard Caleb whistle lowly; acknowledging that shit was getting real. Megan narrowed her eyes at Johnny, but didn't say anything.

"Baby, I'm sorry about that. She's just some junior I met. I wasn't thinking." Johnny said, brushing off the death glare he was getting from Scarlett. Despite how good he was with a football, Scarlett realized just how stupid he was. "She said she always looked up to you and wanted to be like you. It's kind of an honor to you." He said with a stupid grin as he tried to lean in and kiss Scarlett. If she was mad before, she was livid now.

"Fuck you, Johnny." She said, kicking him away with her booted foot. His face got red as he tried to reach out for her again. This time, Scarlett spit what beer she had just sipped into his face as she hopped down from the truck bed.

"Megan, I'm heading home. You want to stay here? I'm sure Caleb wouldn't mind taking you home." Scarlett said calmly as she turned to her friend. Megan gave Caleb a quick, shy kiss on the cheek and hopped down to Scarlett.

"Nope, let's roll chick." She said, looping her arm through Scarlett's. They were almost out of the crowd when someone called out to Scarlett, causing her to spin on her heel. Megan was whipped around to face none other than the blonde that had been tongue deep in Johnny's throat.

"Sorry to hear about Johnny. You gotta know how to keep a man happy if you expect to keep them." The blonde said with a smile. Scarlett shook Megan off and stepped towards the girl, with a sinister smile. She was considering whether to use her words, like her mom had begged her, or do what came naturally.

Instinct won over manners as she decked the girl in the nose with all of her strength. The girl screamed as she fell back on to her ass. Scarlett went to go after her, but Megan caught her by the elbow. She turned and looked at her, catching her breath before she nodded and followed Megan out to her Jeep.

Scarlett handed Megan the keys, too pissed to drive. She was sick of falling in love only to be cheated on by small town hicks. She started to consider the trip to California as a blessing in disguise. Megan pulled into the ice cream shack's parking lot and smiled over at Scarlett, knowing some cookie dough in a cone would make her level out.

"So, I needed to talk to you about something, Meg." Scarlett said, looking over at Megan as she sat down on a bench and started eating her ice cream. She felt her anger subside with every bite.

"I'm not going to be able to go on the road trip with you and Heather. I'm sorry. I was really looking forward to it but my Mom is making me go to California to stay with my father this summer." Scarlett said quickly, worried that if she paused she wouldn't have the nerve to hurt Megan's feelings like that. Megan's eyes opened wide as she looked at Scarlett with shock.

"I thought your dad died before you were born." Megan said, looking into Scarlett's eyes. Scarlett shrugged and took another bite of ice cream before responding.

"Yeah, you and me both. Apparently he lives in California and Mom has this crazy idea that I need to go out there and spend some time with him before classes start in the fall." Scarlett explained, emphasizing the word crazy. Megan nodded and surprised Scarlett with a hug.

"That's awesome, Scar. You get to go to California and meet your dad? I mean, I'm bummed you can't go on the trip, but maybe we'll have to make sure we stop by and see you in Cali!" Megan said with a bright smile. Scarlett hugged her back and nodded, forcing a smile. Of course Megan would want her to meet her dad. Megan's dad had died overseas a couple of years ago, so she was always sensitive about family.

"I leave in the morning. I guess we better head back so I can try and get some kind of sleep. You wanna stay with me?" Scarlett asked as she tossed her cone into the garbage and waited for Megan. She knew the reminder of her dad would upset her, and she was going to miss Megan while she was gone. She didn't say anything, but nodded and followed Scarlett back to the Jeep.

"Maybe there will be hot surfer guys for you to date while you're there." Megan said as she stared up at the ceiling from Scarlett's bed. Scarlett rolled over and laughed.

"I don't think I'm that close to the ocean, but yeah. Maybe." She said before biting her lip.

"I can hear you doing that." Megan said, referring to Scarlett's habit of biting her bottom lip. "What's wrong?"

"I've never had a dad before, Megan. What if he doesn't even like me? I mean, I'm not exactly you. You're sweet and funny and caring. I'm just kind of a bitch." Scarlett said now turning her own eyes up to the ceiling. Megan shook her head and sighed.

"Scarlett, he agreed to have you come out there all summer. He's got to be a nice guy to do that for a daughter he's never met. Doesn't matter if he knows you. Dads love their daughters, bitches or not." She explained. Scarlett caught the wavering voice at the end and turned on her side, giving Megan a kiss on the forehead before flipping around and trying to go to sleep.

"Scarlett Kathleen Jensen if you don't get down stairs right now you are going to miss your plane." Mariah called from the front entrance. She had sent Scarlett and Megan upstairs to get her bags after they had breakfast. She had agreed to let Megan take Scarlett to the airport and bring the Jeep back. It was probably just as well, because she didn't think she could handle watching Scarlett get on the plane.

Mariah looked up when she heard Scarlett's and Megan's boots coming down the stairs, punctuated by the clanging of suitcases on each step. She smiled and took her daughter into her arms tightly as Megan rolled the bags out, leaving them to their goodbyes.

"Momma, I'll be back in a few weeks. Don't cry. You and Lisa can have some girl bonding while Megan's out on the road to." Scarlett said as she felt a tear on her lips after kissing her mom on the cheek. Mariah took a deep, shaky breath and nodded as she walked Scarlett to the front porch.

"Here, you need to take this. It's the directions to his garage. He can't leave to meet you at the airport, but he'll be there waiting for you. I've already got you a rental car waiting at the airport, okay?" Mariah said, handing over a manila envelope. Scarlett nodded with a smile, actually feeling excited to head out West now. "I love you, baby girl, so much."

"I love you too, Momma. I'll call you when I land okay? We gotta get going." Scarlett said, giving her mom one last hug and kiss before getting into the Jeep's driver's seat. Mariah stood on the front porch and waved with a smile until she could no longer see the Jeep. Then, she lost the damn holding back her tears and stumbled into the house, sobbing hard enough to shake her entire body.

"You've got to send me pictures of, like everything!" Megan ordered from the passenger seat as they parked at the airport. Scarlett agreed and pulled her bags out of the back of the Jeep as Megan went around to the driver's side.

"If you leave a single scratch, I will have your head when I come back, Megan." Scarlett said with a playful smile as she gave Megan a hug. Megan waved her comment off and pulled back.

"Have an awesome trip, Jensen." Megan said with a wave as Scarlett headed into the airport. She didn't turn back so she could avoid crying and ruining the makeup Megan had insisted on doing that morning. She took a deep breath as she walked into the airport and picked up her tickets as her bags were checked.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are making our final descent into Oakland. Please return seats to the upright position and remained buckled in as we land. It has been a pleasure flying with you today." The flight attendant said with a smile before putting the microphone back on the wall and making her way down the aisle to make sure everyone had followed her directions.

Scarlett rubbed her eyes carefully as she woke up and looked out of the window she had used as a pillow. She and Megan had barely gotten any sleep last night, so the nap was inevitable. She hadn't planned on sleeping the entire time though. Now that she was here and awake, she felt butterflies in her stomach, some of which felt like they were trying to escape up her throat.

She got off the plane and walked down to the baggage claim. Luckily, both bags made it in one piece. Next, she took off to the car rental station and picked up the keys to the Jeep her mom had rented her. She smiled as she put the suitcases in the back. The Jeep looked exactly like her one at home and she knew her mom had probably done that on purpose.

She followed the highway as directed by the gps and started to calm down as she took in the scenery around her. It was a lot less green than Georgia. There were jagged mountains and brown earth stretching out along both sides of the road. It wasn't until she was about ten miles out from her destination that she noticed more vegetation and forest around.

She passed a wooden welcome sign to Charming as she slowed down to a more acceptable speed. The city wasn't huge, but it was certainly bigger than home. She smiled when she noticed that, so far, there weren't any fast food restaurants or big-name stores in town. She was almost worried it'd be too far out of her element to come out to a California town. Now, all she had to worry about was a father she had never heard about in the eighteen years she'd been alive.

She pulled into a garage lot and swung the Jeep into a parking lot. She let it idle for a few minutes as she took a deep breath and checked the place out casually from the mirrors. There were motorcycles lined up behind her and a large building with a grim reaper looking design on the wall. She swallowed hard and cut the engine before slowly getting out of the car and walking uncertainly towards the garage.

Gemma watched as a tall, redhead got out of a late model Jeep Wrangler and walked slowly towards the garage. She couldn't be older than twenty and she didn't exactly look like she was from around here. She had brown and blue cowboy boots that looked like they'd never seen ground before, a short pair of denim shorts and a cropped, blue and white plaid shirt on. Something about her looked familiar, but Gemma couldn't place it, especially since she still had dark sunglasses on over her eyes.

She watched silently as Juice jogged out from the garage, stopping a few feet from her. Gemma couldn't hear what was going on, but Juice's head turning from one side to another made her wonder exactly what was going on. The girl pulled out a manila envelope and moved her sunglasses up to the top of her head as she looked down at a piece of paper.

"No, nothing's wrong with the Jeep, it's actually a rental. I'm actually looking for somebody." Scarlett said, biting her bottom lip as the guy with a mohawk standing in front of her looked at her curiously. Then, she noticed a woman standing in the office doorway.

"Juice, stop standing there like an idiot and bring her over." The woman said, rolling her eyes at the mechanic in front of Scarlett. He blushed a little and walked Scarlett over to the office. The woman sent him away as she ushered Scarlett in to the little office.

"Can I help you?" The lady said, staring at her a little strangely. Scarlett sighed from nerves and looked down at the paper in her hands.

"I'm actually looking for somebody. The Jeep's fine. It's a rental." She said, bouncing her leg up and down nervously.

"Darlin', if you don't take a breath you're going to pass out and I don't even know who you are. I'm Gemma, now what's your name?" Gemma said looking the girl in they eye. She definitely felt like she looked familiar, but knew she'd never seen her before.

"Scarlett." She responded, looking up at Gemma. She smiled at Scarlett and nodded her head.

"Nice to meet you, Scarlett. You sound like you're a long way from home. Now, who are you looking for?" Gemma said, trying to keep from sounding annoyed. She didn't like some random girl showing up and looking for somebody out of the blue.

"I'm looking for Happy Loman." Scarlett said, feeling like she was going to throw up. Once she got the name out, she felt a little better though, like a weight had been taken off her chest.

Thank you for reading so far :) I've had this idea in my head for quite a while, and so far I'm really enjoying what I've gotten out. I hope you all enjoy and review, follow or favorite to let me know how you receive it. It's going to be a little different than other things I've written so far


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you want with Happy?" Gemma asked, losing any trust she had in the girl. She was sick of sweet butts and road ass popping up and looking for her boys. The girl's eyes narrowed at Gemma, surprising her a little.

"That's between me and him. I don't know you." Scarlett said with a growl. She didn't like the look the woman was giving her and she didn't have any reason to answer her questions. Gemma's eyes narrowed, which struck the fear of God in to most people, but Scarlett just scowled back.

"That's right, you obviously don't know me. Now, you don't just show up here asking for one of the guys and think that I'm just going to call them up. Honey, what happens on the road stays on the road, you aren't supposed to follow them around like a beaten puppy. Just take it as a good fuck and leave." Gemma snapped. She was sick of the girl's secrets, even though part of her commended Scarlett for having the balls to stand up to the Queen of SAMCRO.

"Excuse me? A good fuck? Bitch, you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about." Scarlett said, standing up and losing all sense of manners or control. She noticed Juice, the mechanic who had met her in the lot, jogging towards the building with the reaper on it as Gemma rounded on her.

Juice slid to a halt at the double doors to the ongoing church. It was a members only meeting and, as a prospect, he really feared for his balls as he knocked on the door loudly. The door flung open. Luckily, it was Chibs who answered, looking more confused then pissed, but mad all the same.

"What tha hell do you want, Juice?" He asked loudly as Juice looked into the room.

"Uh, there's some chick here. She and Gemma are about to throw down." Juice said looking over at Clay. Clay tossed the gavel on the large wooden table and stood up slowly.

"What the fuck is my old lady pissed about now?" Clay asked. It was meant as a rhetorical question, but Juice didn't pick up on that as Clay made his way over to him.

"I don't know. I just heard the girl ask for Happy and Gem asked why and then they started yelling." Juice said with a shrug, wishing Clay would hurry before they had to bail Gemma out of jail. Happy jumped up from the table and rushed past Clay and Juice.

"What the fuck?" Clay said as he picked up the pace and followed Happy outside.

"I don't care who the fuck you are. You don't fucking touch me." Scarlett yelled at Gemma tightened her grip on her upper arm and led her out into the parking lot.

"I told you, you little gash. You've got no business here. You leave now or I'll break that pretty little nose of yours." Gemma spat as she gave Scarlett a shove towards the Jeep. Scarlett spun around and went towards Gemma.

"Really? Lady you don't stand a chance." Scarlett yelled. She stopped in her tracks when a taller tan guy stepped in between them and turned to Gemma.

"Gemma, stop." He said sounding something between scared and demanding. Gemma's eyes widened and then narrowed as she looked at the man. Scarlett saw his neck muscles move in a hard swallow just before he turned to face her.

They stood and stared at one another, as time seemed to halt. He was looking into his own, black eyes in the head of the auburn haired girl in front of him. She relaxed her scowl as it registered that this was most likely who she had come here to find.

"Get in the Jeep. I'll be there in a minute, Scarlett." Happy said flatly as he turned back to the men that had followed him. "Are we voting on anything?" Clay shook his head, at a loss for words. "Okay, I gotta go take care of this. Just call me if you need me."

With that, Happy walked over to the Jeep and opened the driver's door. Scarlett looked at him as he pointed over to the passenger seat. She didn't argue and crawled to the other side as he directed. He started the Jeep and drove out of the lot without a word.

Scarlett thought about saying something, but couldn't figure out what exactly that something should be. Instead, she remained silent as he drove incredibly fast down a residential road. He yanked the Jeep into the driveway of a modest, gray house and cut the engine before getting out and walking inside. Scarlett bit her lip for a minute before slowly getting out and following him through the open door.

"Hi." He said simply as he returned from the kitchen with two bottles of beer. He popped the tops off with an opener on his keys before offering Scarlett one. She raised her brow as she took one.

"I'm eighteen." She said, looking from the beer to the man who she was still assuming was her father. He shrugged and took a seat on the couch. She tipped the bottle up against her lips and let the cool beer tingle across her tongue.

"You can sit down, Scarlett." He said, looking at her with a blank expression. There was a cord of shock running through him as he processed her actually being here, actually existing. When he'd gotten the call from Mariah, it'd felt like some twisted joke.

"So, I'm just going to assume you're Happy?" Scarlett said as she sat down in an armchair across from him. She was still trying to get over the fact that he was the opposite of what she'd imagined her mother would go for. He was tall, probably a little over six foot since she stood at 5' 11". The height and eyes aren't what surprised her, instead, she was having a hard time overcoming the massive amounts of tattoos he had, even including one on his shaved head.

"Yeah, I am. You look a lot like your mom." Happy said, taking another, long drink and staring at Scarlett. Seeing her auburn hair made him remember the first time he and Mariah had met at a motorcycle expo up in San Francisco. Scarlett smiled and seemed to relax a little with his compliment. That damn smile was all Mariah to.

"Can I ask you something?" Scarlett said, a little unsure of herself.

"You can ask." Happy responded. The double meaning behind his short response made Scarlett smile.

"Did you have all those tattoos when you and my mom hooked up?" Scarlett asked, looking him dead in the eye. Happy was amused with that question and felt the corners of his mouth prick upwards as he answered her.

"Yeah, most of them. Why? Not what you expected?" Happy said with a laugh. Just one laugh and then he stopped.

"Honestly, no. I always took her to be really, I don't know, straight laced." Scarlett said, biting her lip a little, afraid that she may have insulted him. He gave her a one sided grin and shrugged.

"Wasn't back then at least. Can't really talk for her now." Happy said, remembering Mariah as the rebellious model that climbed on the back of his bike, her parent's objections be damned. He noticed Scarlett yawn a little as she sat the beer bottle down on a coaster.

"I'm going to get your stuff and you can go to bed. Set a room up for you down there on the left. We can talk more tomorrow." Happy said, standing up and walking out to the Jeep before she could respond. She realized how tired she really was and also realized she hadn't called her mom or talked to Megan.

Happy carried her suitcases in to the room he'd just furnished for her and sat them down by the closet as she walked in behind him. He stood there, looking at her for a minute before she broke the silence.

"I'm not really big on hugging or anything and it'd be kind of awkward anyways. Thanks for the room, it looks great." She said, tossing her purse onto the bed. Happy actually cracked a smile as he realized she may look a lot like Mariah, but she definitely acted a lot like him.

"Yeah, no problem. Here's my cell number in case you need me or anything. I've got to go back to TM for a while. There's a set of keys for you in the top drawer." Happy said as he turned and walked out of the house. He climbed back up in the Jeep and headed back to the garage.

Scarlett changed into an oversized t-shirt and lay down on the bed before she called her mom. As the phone rang, she thought about how different Mariah must have been when she was younger.

"Hey, sweetheart, I was starting to get worried about you." She heard her mom say as she came on the line. Scarlett smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I zoned out on the drive here and then I had to find Happy." Scarlett said, omitting the fact that she'd almost come to blows with a woman at the garage. Mariah knew her daughter wasn't a saint, but that was no reason to make her worry.

"It's okay. I'm glad you called though. Was he nice to you?" Mariah asked with a tinge of worry in her voice. She knew Scarlett was his daughter, but she also knew he and his daughter shared a temper and a general grumpiness.

"Yeah, I mean he's quiet and it's still kind of awkward. Momma, he's not exactly who I pictured when you told me I was coming to meet him. I mean, I kind of figured he was, I don't know, a banker or something." Scarlett said, frustrated that she hadn't really known what to expect.

"Sweetie, I wasn't always a Mom. It's a long story and it's late here, but I don't know why you expected a banker would be named Happy." Mariah said with a cough that she hid with a laugh. Scarlett smiled and nodded to herself, agreeing with the ridiculousness of her predictions.

"I'm going to sleep soon to. I love you." Scarlett said with a yawn.

"Love you, honey. Text me or call me when ever and tell Happy I said hello." Mariah said with a smile before hanging up the phone and catching her breath.

Scarlett rolled over on her side before she texted Megan.

**_Hey, sorry I haven't texted you. I'm here and safe. Met my dad, he seems like kind of a bad ass. I'll explain later but I'll try to get a picture, it's worth two thousand words in his case. Hope I don't wake you._**

Scarlett sat the phone on the glass bedside table and shifted around to get comfortable before pretty much passing out. The jet lag was really getting to her, as was the lack of sleep and crazy showdown at the garage.

Happy parked the Jeep next to a customer's truck and got out, leaving the keys underneath the floor mat. When he got to the back of the car, he noticed all of his brothers staring at him from around the clubhouse patio. He hadn't mentioned Scarlett to any of them, considering he was still in denial up until the point that he saw her screaming at Gemma.

"Hap, what was that shit earlier?" Clay asked as he shoved a croweater off his lap. Happy lit a cigarette and took a long drag before answering his president.

"That was Scarlett. My kid." Happy said without any type of emotion what so ever. Clay's eyes opened wide as he looked at the killer standing in front of him.

"You never said anything about havin' a kid." Clay said, still in shock. Happy shrugged and took another drag.

"Didn't know until a few months ago. Didn't really believe it 'til she was standing out here screaming." Happy said as Clay finally laughed.

"Apple doesn't fall far, Hap. She's only the second woman I've ever seen stand up to Gemma like that. Hell, she's just a kid, what, twenty?" Clay said with a chuckle as he took the beer that Jax was handing him as he joined the conversation.

"Nah, eighteen." Happy said before flicking his cigarette on the ground and heading into the clubhouse.

Jax looked at Clay and raised his brow. Clay just shook his head and laughed, knowing Happy was about to go get his dick wet to clear his head.

"That girl yellin' at Mom today is Happy's kid?" Jax asked Clay. Clay nodded as he took a puff from his cigar. "Don't look eighteen."

"No, she doesn't. Hap's gonna have his hands full with that one and keepin' guys off her." Clay said with a deep laugh before catching another croweater by the waist and pulling her on to his lap as Jax headed back off into the party.

Scarlett woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating on the glass tabletop. She reached out and grabbed it groggily. She swiped the lock screen away to see a text from Megan.

**_You can't just leave it at that, woman! What do you mean a badass? Like, a cop? Any hot guys there? Pictures Scarlett!_**

Scarlett groaned and looked up at the time. It was a quarter to eight here, which meant it was almost eleven back in Georgia. With a yawn, she locked her phone screen and sat up in bed for a couple of minutes, getting her bearings back. Finally, she grabbed a towel from the basket by the door and headed into the bathroom attached to what would be her bedroom for the next couple of months.

After a steaming hot shower, she pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and a fringed Jack Daniel's tank top on with my black boots. She was drying my hair when she heard a knock at the bedroom door. She cut the hair dryer off and crossed the room to open the door. It was Happy, of course.

"Do you eat breakfast?" He asked, looking at Scarlett like he'd known her forever. Scarlett noticed he was a lot more relaxed than yesterday. She shook her head with a smile.

"I'll take coffee if you have it though." She said as he nodded and headed off into the kitchen. She noticed there was a tattoo around the base of his neck, but couldn't make out what it said because of his t-shirt. Scarlett closed the door and went back to drying her hair and doing her make-up as Happy made coffee in the kitchen.

He looked up from the table when Scarlett walked in and grabbed the other mug from the counter. She joined him at the table and sipped on the black coffee as they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So, you're a mechanic?" Scarlett said, just to break the silence between them. Happy sat his coffee down and looked at her for a minute. She was wondering if she'd said something wrong.

"Yeah, most of the time. Anybody asks, that's all I am." Happy said, looking into Scarlett's dark eyes. He knew she couldn't stay here for any amount of time without knowing at least a little about the club. He bit his bottom lip for a second before leaning forward a little.

"I'm also a member of the Sons of Anarchy. Have you ever heard of motorcycle clubs?" Happy asked openly. Scarlett raised her brow and took a beat.

"I mean, I've seen some on television, heard of a couple like Hell's Angels?" She said, trying not to sound as dumb as she felt. Happy laughed once.

"Yeah, okay kind of. More Angels than whatever you probably saw on tv. We ride together, have each other's backs and take care of Charming. Sometimes that means we've got to do shit other people won't or don't want to do." Happy said, struggling to explain SAMCRO without making them sound like boy scouts or gang bangers. Scarlett nodded and twisted her lips about.

"I guess I'll get it eventually. Since we're having confessional, I'm just going to warn you that I'm not whatever Mom might have told you to convince you to let me come here." Scarlett said, running her thumb around the lip of the coffee mug.

"What are you talking about? You're my kid whether you like it or not." Happy said telling himself that as much as Scarlett. She had his eyes and the time frame was spot on. Scarlett shook her head.

"That's not what I mean. I just mean I'm not the princess Mom thinks I am. I'm hardheaded and most people take that as me being a bitch." Scarlett said with a shrug. Happy actually laughed, alarming Scarlett a little.

"Yeah, I kind of picked up on that from the garage yesterday. Don't worry about it. Long as you aren't stupid, we'll be fine. You got that from me, you're Mom was a doll." Happy said, suddenly frowning a little before going stone faced. It didn't get past Scarlett.

"So, what are your plans for today?" Happy asked, finishing his coffee and washing the mug out in the sink. Scarlett followed suit and sighed.

"No plans really. I need to turn the Jeep in though. You wouldn't happen to have something I can drive while I'm here do you?" She asked, half joking. Happy shrugged and grabbed his kutte off the back of the couch.

"You know how to ride a motorcycle?" He asked, holding the door open as he waited for her to get her purse and rejoin him. She hurried out of the door behind him, stopping as he got on his bike.

"No, I don't. Where's the Jeep?" She asked, scowling at him. He laughed and tossed her a helmet.

"I'll teach you and you can ride my old bike. Come on, Jeep's at TM. We'll go get it and I'll follow you over to the rental place." Happy said as Scarlett climbed on behind him.

She realized that this summer was going to be pretty different than the horseback riding and partying she'd planned back home. Part of her was terrified, but the part that seemed more like Happy, was thrilled.

**Okay, so I updated the summary but I just wanted to let you all know that this is an AU that takes place before Season 1. With that being said, I'm taking a creative liberty of having Happy as a member of the Redwood charter now instead of down the road. You'll also notice that Juice is still a prospect, though I'm not really sure if that will have a big effect on anything yet. Other than that, everyone is about 5 years younger than they are in Season 1. Happy reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

After recovering from the shock of not only riding on the back of a motorcycle for the first time, but also the second ride back after dropping off the Jeep, Scarlett hopped off the back of Happy's bike and jammed her hands in her back pockets as he swung a leg over and took his helmet off.

"Feel like meeting more strangers?" Happy said, looking at Scarlett, trying to gauge her reaction. The fact that she was stone faced both irritated and amused Happy. He found it funny how that face must look a lot like his but it bothered him that he couldn't read her. Reading people was a lot easier than talking sometimes. Cut out on a bunch of stupid questions.

"Sure." Scarlett said simply as she shook her hair out from being under the helmet. She followed Happy into the large building opposite the garage and took a deep, silent breath as she saw several guys hanging out around a large, oak bar. She gathered that they were also Sons since they wore kuttes just like Happy's.

"Scarlett, this is Clay Morrow. Gemma is his old lady." Happy said, introducing her to a tall, greying man who seemed quite a bit older than Happy, or maybe it was just his hair. Scarlett stretched out her hand as Clay did and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry about Gemma." Scarlett said politely. Clay laughed and nodded his head. Happy excused himself for a minute and headed out towards the garage for something.

"Don't worry about it. She was still going on about it this morning. You need anything you let one of us know." Clay said, equaling Scarlett's politeness. Scarlett picked up on something about the way he looked away from her that she didn't like, but couldn't quite place it.

"Hey baby, you hanging around for a while?" A dark haired guy asked as he walked out from a hallway near the bar. He wagged his brow at her, making her laugh at his over reaching.

"Tig, shut up." Jax, who was sitting near Clay said, shaking his head at the man. Tig just smiled broader and made his way over to Scarlett.

"I can show you around if you want. We've got plenty of rooms in the back that I'd love to give you a tour of." Tig said, laying on the charm as best he could. Jax shook his head again and Scarlett caught him smile. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Scarlett. Do you give all the girls this much attention or should I feel special?" Scarlett said, giving it right back to him. Tig's face lit up as he put a rough hand on Scarlett's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

"Baby, I don't know if that accent's fake or what but please use it when you're screaming my name." Tig said, biting his lip in obvious yearning.

"If you don't get your fucking hand off of her I will break it." Happy growled at Tig as he walked up behind Scarlett. It took Scarlett by surprise how quickly he went into Dad mode after just meeting her. Tig left his hand on her shoulder as he looked at Happy with a lost expression. Jax laid his head on the bar and snickered as Clay turned around on the stool and smiled at the scene that was unfolding.

"Hap, I saw her first, you can have a round later." Tig said, trying to bargain with Happy. Scarlett's eyes opened wide as she realized he was quite serious about sharing. Happy stepped right up to her side and bore his eyes into Tig, wondering how he could be so stupid.

"Tig, I'd like to introduce you to Scarlett, Happy's daughter. Now, as much as you getting your ass kicked would entertain me, we're low on numbers right now so hands off." Clay said, laughing at Tig's horrified face. He swallowed hard and jerked his hand back.

"I didn't know you even had a kid, brother." Tig said, looking between Happy and Scarlett. Happy just grunted at him and joined the others at the bar, reaching over and grabbing a bottle of whiskey before taking a seat next to Jax.

Tig high tailed it out to the garage as Scarlett sat down next to Happy. Jax looked at her from behind Happy and smiled, she glanced at him for a second before turning her attention back on the glass of soda in front of her. She wasn't blind or oblivious to how attractive Jax was, but she was also determined to hate boys at the moment, thanks to Johnny.

"You planning on going to college?" Happy asked out of the blue. Scarlett looked at him for a second and nodded. "For what?

"Uh, I'm planning on figuring that out once I'm there. First year is all basic classes anyways. Mom's the one that wants me to go so bad." Scarlett said, recalling the argument they'd had last summer. Scarlett had no intentions on going to college, but then Mariah had been diagnosed with cancer, so she decided she'd do whatever made her mom happy.

"What'd you want to do then?" Happy said. He knew it probably wasn't something he should be asking, but he wanted to know about her, not what Mariah wanted. Scarlett looked at him and bit her bottom lip, it made Happy worry he'd said something wrong, but that didn't make any sense to him, he'd just asked her what she wanted. The look Scarlett was giving him reminded him why he'd given up on trying to figure out women a long time ago.

"You're the first person to ask me that besides my best friend." Scarlett said after a minute or so of silence. Happy didn't say anything, just looked at her as if he was still waiting for an answer. She looked down at her soda glass and realized how impractical what she wanted would probably sound to a parent. Then again, Happy was new at the whole parent thing, so maybe he wouldn't judge her.

"I wanted to model." Scarlett said, feeling blood rise to her cheeks a little.

"Wanted? You don't want to do that anymore?" Happy asked, looking at her as she locked her eyes on that soda glass.

"Doesn't matter." Scarlett said simply. She'd given up on having lofty dreams as soon as she sent out college applications. She gritted her teeth as she waited for Happy to tell her how silly she was being, or something responsible like that.

"Bullshit." Happy said harshly, causing Scarlett to snap her head around to look at him. Her eyes were wide and he couldn't tell if he'd scared her or if she was going to yell at him.

"You can't say that." She said quietly. He narrowed his eyes at her, to which she responded by doing the same.

"I can't call bullshit on you saying what you want doesn't matter?" Happy asked, trying not to laugh at how pissed she looked. The fact that such an innocent looking kid could shoot daggers from her eyes in a split second amused the hell out of him.

"You can't just act like it's acceptable for someone to give up the chance at a college education to chase some pipe dream. That's not what parents are supposed to do." Scarlett said, growing frustrated that he'd even brought it up. She refused to think about what she wanted anymore. Her mom had convinced her that once she started taking classes, she'd find something else she wanted, but anytime she thought about modeling, she started doubting that.

"I might be new at this and I probably suck at it but I'm not one to crush fucking dreams. Especially if they could work." Happy said, getting up from the bar and heading out towards the garage. He didn't feel like hearing any of Scarlett's excuses for giving up and he felt a little bad about going against what Mariah had told her. She was Scarlett's mom and he was just some guy that fathered her who shouldn't give anyone life advice.

Scarlett just sat at the bar in silence, not really knowing where to go. She knew Happy hadn't meant to upset her and she didn't honestly know why she was upset. She frowned as she thought about how crappy she was doing at having a father. She pulled out her cellphone and walked over to a black couch to distance herself from any prying ears.

"Hey girly! I was wondering when I would hear from you! You still haven't sent me the first picture." Megan's voice chirped after answering Scarlett's call.

"I know, I know. I've been busy riding on the back of Happy's motorcycle and sitting at a bar." Scarlett said to get a stir out of Megan.

"What! Your dad has a motorcycle?" Megan said spewing tea out of her mouth.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I mean it was scary as hell but it was fun to. Everyone I've met so far has Harleys." Scarlett said with a laugh as she glanced up at Jax.

"Wait, are you sitting at a biker bar?" Megan asked excitedly. Scarlett laughed and shook her head at Megan's mind jumping around.

"Sort of. It's just for Happy's friends though. So, I think I messed up already." Scarlett said, getting into why she really called Megan.

"I'm sure it's not that bad. What'd you do?" Megan said, trying to calm Scarlett down.

"I can hear your eyes rolling you know. I don't know Happy and I were talking about college and he asked what I really wanted to do." Scarlett explained as she bit her lip.

"Oh, I take it he got upset that you wanted to model?" Megan guessed, considering how her own Dad would have taken it had he been alive.

"Nope, not at all. He actually seemed irritated that I'm not doing what I want. It's not that I don't want to go to school, I just want to model more." Scarlett sighed as she prodded at a cigarette hole in the carpet with her boot toe. Megan didn't respond for a minute and Scarlett started thinking about what she should say to Happy.

"Scar, people our age would kill to have parents that push them towards their dreams, even if they are risky as far as success goes. I'm sure your mom would have eventually compromised with you on it, but you just gave in." Megan spoke carefully to avoid ticking Scarlett off. The college subject was touchy.

"I guess. I'm going to go talk to him. Check your phone in a few minutes, I'll sneak a picture of this hot guy at the bar." Scarlett whispered to which Megan shrieked and ended the call quickly. Scarlett held her phone up and acted like she was using the screen to check her hair and snapped a picture of Jax.

She giggled as she edited the picture while walking out of the clubhouse. She and Megan had thought up that slick picture technique at the mall one day and guys rarely caught on. She pressed send and slid the phone in her back pocket as she ran right in to Happy.

"Sorry! I was looking for you." Scarlett stepped back and put her hand up in apology. Happy nodded and walked over to a picnic table and sat on the top. He lit a cigarette and offered one to Scarlett. She raised her brow, but took one and let him light it with his zippo.

"You were looking for me?" Happy blew out a trail of smoke with his words.

"Yeah. I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't want your opinion or anything. I guess I just put aside what I wanted so it'd take stress off of Mom. She's getting better now, but I guess the ball is already running on the college thing so I may as well go with it." Scarlett knew she sucked at apologies, so hopefully that was good enough for him. She noticed his expression had changed from relaxed to tight. There was a vein in his temple that she could easily watch pulse in and out.

"I just think it's important to do what you want. Life's too short to go around pleasing other people, even if your reason was nice." He was trying not to let his anger come out through his voice. "So, you're Mom is getting better?"

"Yeah, it was touchy there for a while. The doctors said it was stage four but then the chemo started working so that's good. She said she feels a lot better." Scarlett said with a smile as she thought about how her Mom's hair had stopped thinning and she had been able to cut back on the chemo sessions. She'd never let Scarlett go with her to the doctor or treatments, so it was nice to have her around where Scarlett wouldn't have to worry.

"Hey, I'm going to go talk to somebody in there real quick and then we're going to go eat, okay?" Happy flicked his cigarette and headed towards the clubhouse as Scarlett smiled at him in response. He pulled out his personal phone and dialed Mariah's number as he stormed across the clubhouse, no longer having to hide how pissed he was.

"Happy? Is everything okay?" Mariah's soft voice came over the line. Happy slammed the dorm door behind him and kicked a trashcan across the room.

"I don't fucking know, Mariah. Who are you lying to?" Happy spat, as he looked for something else to kick.

"What are you talking about? Don't pull this again, she's your daughter, get a test if you don't believe me." Mariah said, worrying that he was trying to push Scarlett away.

"I know Scarlett's mine. I couldn't deny it if I wanted to, she's an awesome girl. So please tell me you lied to me and not her." Happy said, sitting down hard on the end of the bed. He heard Mariah swallow. "Tell me you fucking lied to me, Mariah."

Mariah's heart dropped as she heard the desperation in Happy's voice. She had been open with him about being sick, but even he didn't know exactly how bad it was. She tried to take a deep breath, but instead, her lungs threw her into a fit of coughing. There were tears coming down her cheeks as she finally caught a breath.

"Happy, you can't tell her." Mariah pleaded, knowing it would break Scarlett's heart if she knew Mariah wasn't well and she was all the way in California.

"Jesus Christ, Mariah. You want me to fucking lie to my daughter about something like this? Why are you doing this to her?" Happy tried not to yell, just in case someone was next door or out in the hall. This needed to stay between he and Mariah.

"I'm doing this for her, Happy. There's nothing she can do to fix it and if I didn't send her now, she wouldn't have gone later. She would have never been able to find you even if she tried." Mariah said, tears now flowing in steady streams.

"You need to come clean with her before it's too late. At least tell her when she gets back to Georgia." Happy said before snapping the phone shut.

Mariah let the phone drop to the bed as she got up to wash the specks of blood from her chin and hand from coughing. She hated asking anyone to lie for her, but it was for Scarlett's own good. Happy would be livid when he found out the truth, but hopefully he could put that aside for Scarlett.

Scarlett noticed Happy walk out of the clubhouse as she and Chibs continued their conversation. He'd rode up a few minutes after Happy went inside and had pegged her as Happy's daughter right away. Scarlett loved listening to him talk.

"Aye, but ya don't have ta worry about them given ya a hard time. They'd be too scared to get kicked out for messing with a Son's daughter." Chibs said with a laugh as Scarlett wrinkled her nose at the thought of meeting any croweaters.

"Do I want to know what you've been telling her?" Happy said to Chibs as he walked past them to his bike. Scarlett hopped up from the picnic table and followed him as she finished her second cigarette.

"Nothin' bad, Hap. Just taught her about croweaters and old ladies." Chibs called over to Happy with a grin. Happy shook his head and wondered exactly how he'd explained that shit. With a glance at Scarlett as he handed her the extra helmet he'd gotten earlier, Happy noticed she seemed pretty excited.

"This is for me?" Scarlett asked with a smile as she put the helmet on. Happy gave her a one sided grin and nodded. Once she was safely seated on the back of the bike, Happy took off. He drove a little faster then he had earlier, testing her reaction.

Scarlett was startled at first, but by the time they pulled into the diner's parking lot, she had loosened her grip on his waist and was smiling from ear to ear. Happy cut the engine and climbed off after her, smirking at her Cheshire grin.

"Is that as fast as it will go?" Scarlett said, obviously joking. Happy laughed and shook his head as they headed inside. An older lady eyed them curiously as she grabbed a couple menus from the hostess stand. She sat them at a booth next to some cops and nodded at Scarlett with a funny look.

"Am I missing something?" Scarlett asked Happy once the hostess had headed back to the entrance. Happy turned towards the lady and glared at her back for a minute before spinning back around to Scarlett.

"Probably thinks I'm trying to get in your pants. Some of Charming sees the kuttes and assume the worst." Happy shook his head slightly and turned back to his menu.

"That's one of the things I hated about Coldmill. Everyone thought they knew more than they do. I guess it's not just a southern thing." Scarlett said as she lay the menu down and waited for the waitress. Happy just nodded in agreement.

After they ordered, Scarlett couldn't help but get a closer look at Happy's tattoos. She noticed they were mostly pretty dark designs, an anarchy symbol, and a reaper like the one on his kutte. She smiled to herself as she thought about how different she'd pictured him and how glad she was to be completely wrong.

"Are you going to tell me why you're staring at my arm smiling like that?" Happy's voice broke into Scarlett's concentration, making her jump a little from surprise. He stopped chewing on the toothpick in his mouth and raised a brow at her. She laughed and waited until the waitress had dropped off their orders before responding.

"Sorry, I was just looking at your tattoos again. I'm really glad you aren't a banker." Scarlett said, blushing deeply as she realized what she'd said out loud. Happy almost choked on the water he was drinking as she crammed a big bite of her chicken sandwich in her mouth to keep from saying anything else.

"A banker?" Happy said incredulously, just staring at Scarlett who was still chewing a huge bite of food. She managed a tiny smirk and Happy laughed at the crazy ideas that must have been going through that girl's head.

Scarlett finally swallowed and leaned back against the seat. She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her pocket as Happy popped a couple of fries in his mouth. Scarlett smiled as she saw the message from Megan.

**_O.M.G, Scarlett! You are hanging around that all day? Sorry I took forever, spent the day with Caleb. I want to see a pic of your dad. That sounded bad, not like that. Just curious lol_**

"That your boyfriend?" Happy asked. Scarlett looked up at him and snarled a little, catching Happy by surprise. "What?"

"It was my best friend. My boyfriend and I aren't exactly talking since he thought he'd let some junior pay tribute to me with her tongue down his throat." Scarlett snapped as she looked back at her phone and messaged Megan to be patient and stop being gross. When she looked back up, Happy's eyes were even darker than normal and he had a scary look on his face.

"He did that and you still call him your boyfriend?" Happy growled through gritted teeth. Scarlett relaxed from her scowl and folded her arms over her chest. "You're too good to deal with that bullshit."

"No, I guess he's not my boyfriend anymore." Scarlett said with a sigh before she smirked a little. "I kicked him and spit beer in his face."

"Good, I guess you know how to take care of yourself. You know the gash?" Happy asked with a laugh, wondering if a father was supposed to promote violence or not before deciding he didn't care and it was probably too late anyways.

"No, but she can probably still feel my fist on her eye." Scarlett said with a shy grin until she realized whom she was talking to. "I know I shouldn't have, but she taunted me."

"Sounds like she had it coming if you ask me." Happy said, smiling over at Scarlett. "What'd your Mom say?"

"She doesn't know. She'd be pissed. When I was in ninth grade, I broke a boy's nose for grabbing my ass. I got suspended for a week and Mom threw a fit, saying that I should use words instead of fists." Scarlett recalled fondly as she sipped on her water.

"You actually listened to that shit?" Happy said, eyeing Scarlett. He may have only met her yesterday, but she didn't seem like someone who took shit from anybody.

"No, I listened. A week later I head-butted a bitch for shoving me. She had two black eyes for a couple weeks. Mom decided to revise her lecture into saying I just shouldn't hurt people. That was the last time I did it at school, got smart after that." Scarlett said with a laugh at Happy's proud expression.

They finished dinner and headed back to Happy's house, where they watched tv for a couple hours before Scarlett got up to go to bed. She turned and looked back at Happy for a minute, biting her lip.

"Just ask." Happy said, already recognizing the face she made when she wanted to ask him a question. Scarlett laughed and rubbed the back of her neck for a second, trying to decide how to approach him.

"I told Megan, my best friend, that you were kind of a badass and I promised to send her a picture." Scarlett blurted out, completely avoiding Happy's eyes. She knew from her mom that Happy wasn't big on pictures, but she had to ask.

"I'm only saying yes because you're my kid." Happy said grumpily. She beamed at him and hurried over to the seat next to him on the couch. He raised a brow at her as she took out her phone and scooted under his arm. He couldn't help but smirk as she made a weird face with her lips poked out.

"What? It's called a selfie." Scarlett said, elbowing him a little as she got up. Happy laughed and kicked his feet back up on the coffee table as she headed down to her room.

"Yeah, well, you looked like a duck." Happy called after her, smiling and shaking his head as he heard her laugh loudly. He honestly never thought about having an old lady, much less a kid, but Scarlett was pretty awesome. He smirked and lit a cigarette, thinking of how she had parts of him and Mariah all jumbled into one.

**I've gotten hyper-focused on this story and feel bad for neglecting my others lol. This will probably be the last update on Scarlett and Happy for a couple days, but I hope you enjoy :) Thank you to everyone who has read, followed, reviewed, favorited, or a mixture of it all. You all rock!**


	4. Chapter 4

Scarlett smiled at Happy as she sat a mug of coffee on the counter for him. She'd woken up pretty early and had already showered, gotten ready, and made coffee before she'd even heard him moving around down the hall. She was on her second cup, and he looked like he could use four or five.

"Rough night?" She asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter. He nodded and picked up the mug she'd prepared for him before turning and heading back down the hallway towards his bedroom. Scarlett shook her head with a laugh and pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket to message Megan. It had been late when she'd gone to bed last night, and she hadn't wanted to wake Megan with a text.

**_Hey, I finally got that picture for you! I'm actually starting to like California a little. It's no Georgia, but I should start learning how to ride a motorcycle today._**

She attached the selfie of her and Happy and selected send before checking her email. She had a few emails from stores about clothing sales and deals, but nothing of any real importance. It startled her a little when Megan's name popped up as the phone started vibrating violently in Scarlett's hand.

"Hey! What's up, girly?" Scarlett asked with a smile as she walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch.

"Uh, what's up? Scarlett, your dad is so hot!" Megan shouted into the phone, earning a sharp look from Caleb who was driving the truck. She grinned over at him and hitched a shoulder.

"Seriously? You did not just call Happy hot. I mean, yeah, good looks obviously run in the family, but gross. You don't get to call him hot." Scarlett said with a laugh as she picked at a string sticking out of a stitch on her boot.

"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it. I saw your mom yesterday. We dropped some groceries off by your house before dinner." Megan said, hoping to get out of trouble with Caleb by changing the subject away from Scarlett's father. He smirked and cut his eyes over at her, picking up on the not so subtle change. She put her hand on his as it rested on the gear shifter.

"Groceries? Why were you taking her groceries?" Scarlett said, sitting up straight and suddenly noticing Happy standing a few feet in front of her. He had a weird look on his face that seemed somewhere between amused and annoyed.

"Scarlett, calm down. Mom said that she had a little cold or something so we just took her some soup and stuff like that. She told me not to worry, so you don't get to either." Megan said, regretting having mentioned Mariah. She knew Scarlett was over protective and worried about her mom, even when she was in town.

"Ok. Well, I gotta go. Text me later and tell Lisa and Caleb I said hey." Scarlett said, hurrying off the call before Megan could respond. She looked up at Happy and met his gaze. She hated being torn between being excited to ride today and being worried about her mom.

"Mariah's tough, Scarlett. Always has been. Don't you think she would call you if something was wrong?" Happy asked, trying to skirt around the fact that something was wrong. He despised a liar, so he made sure not to say anything like, she'll be fine or any of that bullshit.

Scarlett nodded slowly and got up from the couch. She'd made sure to wear jeans today since she'd already burned the side of her leg on the Harley's exhaust. She pushed her worries to the back of her mind, confident that Mariah would let her know if there was anything to worry about. Happy handed her a helmet and smirked.

"Did I hear you yelling at somebody for calling me hot?" Happy asked in a strong effort to get both of their minds off Mariah. He chuckled as he saw her wrinkle her nose.

"Ugh, can you not look so smug?" Scarlett said with a laugh as they walked out to the driveway. "How exactly are you going to teach me how to ride?"

"Not that hard. Come here, this is the one you can learn on." Happy said, walking over to his old Harley Sportster. He'd gone through a phase a few years back and had bought a Sportster, thinking he'd like it. He'd been completely wrong. The bike was way to small for him being over six feet tall and he felt like an oaf riding it. He had planned on selling it, but never really got around to it once stuff had picked up with SAMCRO.

"This is a little different than my bike. Should be a better size for you. Go ahead and climb on but don't touch anything. We've got a lot of shit to go over before you even think about starting it." Happy said sternly as he walked around to the front of the bike. He smiled as she sat on the seat and paid him all of her attention while he pointed out gauges, controls, and switches.

About an hour into Happy's Harley's 101 session, Scarlett was ready to crank it up. She did everything Happy had said and smiled as he took a couple of steps backwards.

"Put the stand up and walk it backwards, doll." Happy instructed as he felt his chest tighten a little. He wondered if this is how it felt when parents taught their kids how to ride bicycles. Children's bikes didn't weigh over five hundred pounds and ninety miles per hour, and that was before the modifications he'd made.

"I'm starving." Scarlett said over the engine, feeling her stomach growl along with the bike. She saw a dark grin come over Happy's face as he walked over to his own bike and started it up. "Seriously? No, I can't ride this yet. Happy!"

"Follow me or starve. It's your choice. We'll go slow." Happy said with a laugh as she glared over at him. He took it as slow as possible, looking behind him every so often to make sure she was okay.

Scarlett was definitely shaky and nervous as hell as she followed Happy out on to the main road in Charming. Luckily, it was a slow day for the town, so she only had to deal with a couple cars riding past her. By the time she followed Happy into a restaurant parking lot, she was actually smiling every so often.

"Don't turn it off just yet. It needs to idle for a minute since it's sat for a while." Happy called over to Scarlett as she walked the Sportster backwards so it was right next to his Dyna. She put the stand down and smiled over at him as she removed her helmet. She was proud that she'd not only ridden a motorcycle, but she'd managed to do so without falling too far behind or falling over.

Happy followed his daughter into the sandwich shop and sat down in the seat across from her. She was still beaming as she looked over the menu. He slid his aside, knowing he only ate one thing from here anyways.

"I fucking love that bike, Happy." Scarlett said suddenly, dropping her menu down on the tabletop. Happy raised his brow in surprise at her sudden exclamation. "Can you believe I rode all the way here?"

"Yep. You're my kid." Happy said matter of factually. Scarlett blushed and started to say something until the waitress came up to take their orders. Scarlett noticed Happy's face grow dark as the door behind her opened with a bell chime.

"What?" Scarlett asked, erasing all traces of a smile from her face as the waitress walked away. She had seen herself in the mirror enough to know the expression on Happy's face was that of an extremely pissed off person.

"As soon as we're done eating, we've got to go." Happy said, staring openly at the man sitting behind Scarlett. He noticed her scowling at him in his peripheral. He knew she had wanted to talk, but he was far from in the mood now. Now, he just had to make sure he could keep her safe until they either got back to his house or TM.

They ate in complete silence as Scarlett wondered who could have come in the door and pissed Happy off so much. She wished she could see them, but judging by the daggers Happy was shooting out of his eyes, they were sitting behind her. She finished her sandwich quickly, noticing with a frown that Happy didn't eat at all. Once the bill was settled, Happy stood up and stepped over to her side of the booth as she slid out. He inclined his head to the right, making sure she understood to move to the opposite side of him.

Growing up in a southern town, Scarlett was all too aware of the racism that still ran through the veins of some. In her town though, it was never something that was displayed or talked about. Sure, there were some bitchy old ladies that whispered and gossiped, like the ones that had asked Mariah if Scarlett's father was a Mexican in the milk aisle, but Scarlett had chalked that up to old age and stupidity.

The man that was staring at Scarlett took her by surprise. He had swastikas on his arms and just reeked of hate. However, once she recovered from the shock of his appearance, she narrowed her eyes back at him. She wasn't about to crumble apart because some skinhead wanted to give her the stink eye. Happy led her out of the shop quickly.

"Never seen you take one of those whores out of the clubhouse, Lowman." The man called as Happy and Scarlett reached the bikes. Happy stopped in his tracks and looked at Scarlett.

"Just get ready to head out." He said quietly to Scarlett before turning to the other man. "Darby, don't give me an excuse to kill you in the middle of town." Happy snapped, moving his right hand under his kutte and gripping his Glock firmly. Darby smirked and nodded his head before turning his back on Happy's black, cold eyes, walking back inside to avoid a shootout during lunch.

"Let's go." Happy growled to Scarlett as he started his Dyna up. Scarlett's jaw was slack as she questioned whether or not her father had really threatened to kill someone. She came to the conclusion that he had in fact threatened the man, but convinced herself it was an empty threat. Who in their right mind would threaten someone in the middle of a parking lot. She shook the doubt from her mind and revved the Sportster as Happy pulled out of the parking spot. Scarlett followed closely, complimenting her own riding skills silently.

Happy shook his head with a smirk as Scarlett sped ahead of him once the stoplight changed to green. Despite the fact they had less than half a mile to go before TM, Happy gave his Dyna some more throttle and passed Scarlett easily. She was still laughing when they pulled into the lot and parked.

"If I remembered where we were supposed to turn, I would have beaten you." Scarlett declared as she hopped off the bike and removed her helmet. Happy shook his head as he hung his own helmet on the Dyna's handlebars.

"Just keep telling yourself that." He said with something between a growl and a laugh. Scarlett rolled her eyes and followed him back in the clubhouse, still smiling from her almost win.

The clubhouse was fairly crowded, considering it was the middle of the day, but Happy cleared out two seats at the bar for he and Scarlett without hesitation. A croweater bounced up and gave Happy a bottle of his favorite beer before cutting her eyes at Scarlett. Happy was tempted to tell the croweater to fuck off until he caught a glimpse of Scarlett's face. She was smiling brightly at the busty blonde, but her eyes were colder than the beer in Happy's hand.

"Isn't it your job to ask me what I want?" Scarlett asked in a sweet voice. The croweater narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, refusing to move a muscle to please Scarlett.

"Little girl, you've got to earn your stripes here. You don't crawl in behind a man and think you're the bees knees." The blonde hissed, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. She'd hoped to intimidate the girl back down to her place, but Scarlett's smile faded not from fear but anger.

"Look, bitch, I don't need to earn dick sucking stripes like you do. Last time I checked, I walked in here behind my dad, I don't crawl." Scarlett said with a threatening tone. The blonde's eyes widened in shock as she looked from Happy to Scarlett, swallowing back the bile that was rising from fear.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry. What can I get you?" She asked the fierce redhead staring her down. Scarlett ordered up a Jack and Coke, to which the croweater poured a double quickly before heading to the back of the kitchen.

"Well, look at you, kid. Not only did you put that bitch in her place, but now you think you can drink liquor to?" Happy asked with the tiniest hint of a smirk. Scarlett swallowed hard as she sat her drink back down.

"Chibs said I had to be tough with them." Scarlett said with a little shrug. "I thought you were okay with me drinking? I'm sorry I just,"

"Breathe, Scarlett. I don't give a shit if you drink or not. Taking advice from Chibs huh?" Happy asked, raising a single eyebrow at his daughter. She let out a long breath she'd been holding in and smiled. Happy brought his other eyebrow up as Scarlett picked up her drink and drained it before slamming it down with a grin.

"The accent makes him seem pretty smart." Scarlett said simply. Happy couldn't help but laugh at her reasoning.

"Yeah, well understanding him gets a little hard after the third Jameson, so just make sure not to listen to hard after that." Happy sat the bottle down and took a deep breath. "I'm going to be out of town for a couple days. You gotta stay here until I get back."

"What? Why can't I stay at your house? Happy, I'm eighteen. I don't need a baby sitter." Scarlett spoke quietly but the heat in her voice wasn't lost on her father. She was just starting to appreciate how he treated her like an adult, and now he wanted her in daycare while he was gone?

"Scarlett, it has nothing to do with your age. With that shit at lunch, I can't risk you staying alone. You don't know how shit works around here." Happy said flatly. He was annoyed that she was fighting him, but tried to remember she wasn't from this life.

"I guess I don't really have a fucking choice considering I don't even have a key." Scarlett said before grabbing the refill, courtesy the busty blonde, and storming out of the clubhouse. She was pissed that her mother had forced her to come here and now her father was forcing her to stay in the back of a bar. Mariah had been right about sending Scarlett out to meet her dad but she couldn't see how Happy could possibly be right about keeping her locked away while he was gone.

A rusty ladder on the side of the building caught her eye as she wandered around aimlessly. Being careful not to spill her drink, she made her way up to the roof slowly. Once she made it to the top, she sat down cross-legged and stared out over the lot as she sipped on her drink, noticing it was more Jack than coke.

Happy almost stormed out of the bar behind her, but thought better of it. If Scarlett was anything like him, she wasn't going to listen to a damn thing he said until she cooled off. So, with Scarlett safely out of earshot, Happy tracked down Jax at the other end of the bar. He could tell his brother was pissed about staying behind from the run and Happy seriously doubted his request would brighten his mood any.

"Hey, Jax. I need a favor." Happy said as he clapped his hand down on Jax's shoulder. He turned around to face Happy slowly.

"What's up, Hap?" He asked, raising a brow. Happy was straight forward, never the type to beat around the bush.

"I need somebody to keep an eye on Scarlett while I'm gone. She's staying here. Darby caught sight of her earlier and she ain't staying at my house alone." He said seriously as Jax's face fell a little. Happy knew Jax didn't want to do it, but he was the only brother staying behind with the prospects while the others went up to Tacoma.

"Aight." Jax said with a short nod. Happy returned a nod and turned to leave.

"Don't tell her I asked you. Just, I don't know, be cool about it." Happy said over his shoulder as he headed over to a couch where the blonde bartender was waiting for him.

Scarlett barely realized how late it was getting as she sat up on the clubhouse roof. She'd fallen into her own thoughts after finishing her drink off. The conversation she'd had with Megan replayed in her head. If she hadn't known any better, she'd think that Megan was hiding something about the grocery delivery to her mom. Even through the worst parts of chemo, Mariah had never needed someone to bring her groceries before. She'd adamantly refused Scarlett's help on several occasions. Scarlett had tried to give her mom a call an hour ago, but it just rang until going to voicemail.

To take her mind off her worries, which were probably just over reactions, Scarlett started flipping through pictures on her phone. A week before graduation, she and Megan had done an amateur photo shoot with her iPhone. The plan had been to print out a few lingerie shots for Johnny, but she hadn't gotten around to it before Caleb's party fiasco. She paused on a shot of her in a black bikini, lying on the hood of her jeep. That was her favorite picture and actually made her feel like modeling may not be that crazy of a plan after all.

"Wondered where you ran off to." Jax said with a grin. Scarlett's heart almost stopped from the shock of seeing Jax. She hadn't even heard him coming up the ladder. He grinned and picked up her phone that had flown out of her hands as she jumped at the sound of his voice.

She watched him do a double take at the screen as her cheeks darkened quickly. His brow raised and his grin spread before handing her phone back. She was so embarrassed that she just locked the screen and slid it back in her pocket immediately.

"Nothing to blush about, darlin'. You hiding from the party?" Jax asked as he sat down next to Scarlett. She cocked her head to the right a little before looking down to the ongoing party down below. She'd been so consumed in her own thoughts that the loud music and crowd had completely escaped her. At least it made sense why she hadn't heard Jax coming up the steps.

"I'm not hiding. I was just thinking. Happy looking for me?" She asked with a sigh. She felt bad about storming out of the bar like a little kid.

"Nah, he said as long as your bike was here he'd let you cool off." Jax said with a shrug. "You ride back in Georgia?"

"Ha, no! I've never even been on the back of a motorcycle until I got here." Scarlett said with a laugh. Jax raised a brow at her as he pulled a baggie out of his pocket. "What?"

"Darlin, most people don't hop on a bike and ride all over town the first day. Pretty impressive." Jax said with a smile as he concentrated on rolling a joint. Scarlett felt a sense of pride wash over her at Jax's compliment. As his focus was on the joint, Scarlett looked him over.

She noticed how muscular his arms were as his fingers rolled the paper delicately. He wasn't the type of guy she'd normally gone for, but then again, she'd never met bikers before. She had to remind herself that she'd sworn off men for a while, especially when he looked up from his task and smiled at her.

"You smoke?" Jax asked after taking a hit. Scarlett had never smoked anything stronger than a cigarette but not for lack of desire. He offered it to her as he finally exhaled a trail of smoke. She took it with a grin, thankful Megan wasn't there to stop her for once.

"Easy there. That shit will put a grown man on his ass." Jax warned with a laugh as Scarlett took a deep hit. She felt he lungs object to the foreign matter, but she did her best to keep from coughing. She exhaled as she passed the joint back over to Jax, thankful she'd kept from coughing somehow.

The high didn't take long to hit her. She felt like time was slowing down as she shook her head at Jax's second offer to pass the joint to her. He chuckled and finished it off himself before leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees and looking at Scarlett.

"You got any more pictures, darlin?" Jax asked with a smile. Scarlett giggled and pulled her phone out, passing it to him without hesitation. She watched his face as he studied the pictures in the album she had open. He took a few minutes flipping through them until turning to Scarlett and smiling before taking a picture of her.

"Hey! No flash photography, mister." She said with a laugh as she rubbed her eyes after being blinded by the camera's flash. Jax laughed and shook his head.

"Mister? I don't think you're that much younger than me." Jax said with a glimmer in his glassy eyes. Scarlett shrugged and giggled again, wondering why what he said was so funny.

"I'm eighteen. What are you? Twenty-five?" Scarlett asked slowly. Jax laughed at how high she obviously was.

"Twenty-three, so you don't get to call me mister." He said with a teasing grin. Scarlett bit down on her bottom lip, as her eyes focused on Jax's bright blue eyes. He snapped another picture of her and laughed as she lunged over at him, reaching for the phone.

She ended up inches away from his face with his arms wrapped around her to keep her sitting up. She blushed and bit her bottom lip again as the smell of cigarettes and their shared joint mixed with his cologne. She noticed that with each breath, she was getting dizzier and dizzier.

"Hold that thought, darlin." Jax whispered as he stared at her full lips. He pulled out his buzzing phone and flicked it open.

"Yeah?" Jax said, running his free hand over Scarlett's hair. He dropped his hand and nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. Found her up on the roof. Yeah, I'll tell her."

He snapped the phone shut and closed his eyes as he gently pushed Scarlett up to her original sitting position. She frowned a little, wondering what she'd done to tick him off.

"Happy is looking for you, babe. Said you needed to follow him home." Jax said, handing her phone back. Her eyes flew open as he spoke.

"Jax! I can't ride like this. I'm too high to walk probably." Scarlett said, worrying that Happy would be even more pissed than he was when she'd stomped out of the clubhouse. She worried that he'd put her ass back on a plane if she pissed him off again.

"Scarlett. Breathe. You'll be fine but you've got to chill out. He's not going to be pissed if you just tell him you're drunk. I don't know how but you didn't even piss him off earlier. Don't let the pot get you paranoid. Just tell him you don't want to ride drunk, he'll let you ride bitch." Jax said, cupping her face in his hand with a reassuring smile.

"Okay. Okay. I'll be fine. Thanks, Jax." Scarlett said nervously nodding. She took a deep breath and made her way down the ladder slowly as Jax looked down at her with a grin. She bit her bottom lip again, realizing how close she'd been to kissing a biker on a rooftop. That thought had her grinning until she caught sight of her biker father.

"You ain't riding that bike drunk off your ass. You better hold on to me tight, kid." Happy scoffed as he tossed her helmet to her. She fumbled with it, almost dropping it, to which Happy shook his head, wondering if he should laugh or yell at her.

"Sorry, Hap. I shouldn't have stomped off earlier." Scarlett apologized as she climbed on her dad's bitch seat. Happy looked over his shoulder and nodded with a small smile as he brought his Dyna to life.


	5. Chapter 5

"You obviously weren't drunk last night." Happy's raspy voice came from behind the refrigerator door. Scarlett closed it and saw him standing stoically with his arms folded across his chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Scarlett lied as she turned away from her father. Happy followed her and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her back around to face him.

"Never lie to me, Scarlett. You are eighteen. If you want to smoke pot there isn't much I can do about it. I'm not Mariah, I'm not here to treat you like a kid. I never got that opportunity." Happy said honestly. Scarlett swallowed and nodded, slightly intimidated by his angry tone.

"If I ask you something, you're a hell of a lot better off just telling me the truth. I might not like it but lying pisses me the fuck off." Happy finished making his point and dropped his hand from Scarlett's bare shoulder. He watched as the light in her eyes returned.

"Okay. If I'm being honest, I've gotten used to lying. There was a lot I didn't tell Mom or just lied to her about to keep her stress levels down. I won't lie to you again. I took a hit of a joint on the roof with Jax last night." Scarlett said, hitching a shoulder as she braced for her dad's reaction. Surprisingly, he just nodded and took the carton of orange juice from her.

"I know. He told me this morning." Happy said with a smirk. Scarlett rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in surrender. She hadn't figured Jax would sell her out like that.

"You ready to go?" Happy called from the living room after Scarlett had gone to get her bag. She came trotting down the hallway with a huge backpack slung over one shoulder. She knew he was in a hurry, but she'd decided to change into shorts since it was so damn hot outside. Happy scowled when he saw her change in attire.

"Showing enough skin?" He grumbled as they walked out to his bike. She looked down and shrugged. She was wearing the same strapless, white lace top from breakfast but her cutoff, blue jean shorts must have pushed him over the edge.

"Hey, at least I'm wearing something besides boots." Scarlett said, raising her foot towards Happy's elbow as she sat behind him. He just shook his head at her high-top converses and headed out to the clubhouse.

Scarlett hopped off Happy's Dyna and tossed her backpack on the ground with a scowl. The weight of the contents and caused the shoulder straps to dig into her skin on the ride over. Happy ruffled her hair and picked the bag up easily.

"Damn, Scarlett. I'm only going to be gone for a couple days. Did you pack the fucking toilet in here?" He asked with a laugh as he tossed the bag to Juice.

"Take that to my dorm. Door's unlocked." He barked at the prospect. Juice looked from Happy to Scarlett and nodded before heading into the clubhouse. Happy turned and held out a closed fist to Scarlett.

"What's this?" She asked, looking down at the two silver keys he dropped in her hand. Happy shook his head at her ridiculous question.

"Keys. Obviously. The one with the keychain is to my dorm, I'll need it back. The other one is to home. I heard you, Scarlett." Happy said before heading off towards the clubhouse to get ready for the run. Scarlett looked at the house key and felt tears forming in her eyes.

He'd said the keys were to home, not his house or the house. She smiled and looked up to the sun, stinging her tears away quickly. As much as she was starting to miss her mom, she was starting to think of Charming as something more than a vacation.

"So what? I'm supposed to babysit that little bitch any time you go on runs this summer?" Gemma hissed at Happy as he strapped a kevlar vest on over his undershirt. He looked up at the pissed off matriarch and scowled.

"She's not a bitch and nobody said shit about you babysitting." Happy growled as he pulled his Reaper Crew t-shirt on, followed by his hoodie and kutte. He thought about how Gemma being a babysitter could really fuck a kid's head up, but didn't want to lose his balls for saying it.

"Well if she's here she's going to work for her stay. I'm not putting up with freeloaders." She barked, gesturing around the clubhouse like it was her own. Happy started feeling the blood boil under his skin.

"Gemma, there's plenty of croweaters for that shit. She's my daughter not a fucking employee. If she wants to help out, fine. If she wants to sit around and drink and smoke, then fine. Unless she's at risk of dying, getting hurt, or anything like that, you ain't going to force her to do fucking shit." Happy said, slamming his Glock in the shoulder holster as Gemma glared at him. He was past caring about his balls at that point. Scarlett was his daughter and he wasn't going to have an old lady treat her like shit.

"Good thing she wasn't around when she was younger. She'd really be a spoiled brat then." Gemma spat inches from my face. Happy was seeing red. It was the second time today he was reminded he didn't get the opportunity to know her as a child or raise her. His fists were balled and the vein in his temple pulsing when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ma, back off. Just because she don't jump when you say don't make her a brat. Last time I checked she's Happy's blood so she's just as much a part of this club as you." Jax snapped at Gemma. She stepped back from Happy and opened her eyes wide at her son. He was standing next to Happy with a hand on the killer's shoulder. She swallowed as she realized how pissed she'd made him. She was a self proclaimed gutsy bitch, but even she had limitations to her courage. She turned on her high heel and stomped over to Clay so she could send her old man off properly.

Happy grunted at Jax, too pissed to properly thank him for stopping him from making the mistake of knocking Gemma on her ass. He looked up and saw Scarlett walking towards him with tears in her eyes. That was enough to shock him out of his anger. He only had to take a few long strides to meet her in the middle of the room.

"Please be careful." She sobbed, flinging herself into his arms. The hardness of the Kevlar vest only made her cry harder. She heard him swallow as he held her tight. He looked over at Clay, who held up ten fingers, signaling when they would be rolling out. Happy nodded and peeled Scarlett off of him.

"Follow me." He said gruffly. He led her to his dorm room and closed the door behind him. She was wiping her tears away as he sat down on the foot of the bed.

"Scarlett, honey, you want to tell me what the water works are for?" Happy asked softly as she sat down next to him. She took a long, shaky breath and leaned into his side.

"I was outside checking on my, well, your Sportster and I heard one of the prospects talking about the run." She sniffled before continuing. "I wasn't eaves dropping, they were just fucking loud. One of them said there was a chance some of y'all may not make it back and then the other guy was a fucking dick and said he'd be willing to take the seat at the table."

Scarlett was crying violently as Happy pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. He had never been good at comforting people, especially women, but he knew Scarlett needed him. After she started to breathe a little more normally, he gently guided her chin up to look at him.

"Scarlett, I promise you I'm coming back. I won't lie to you. What we're doing on this run is dangerous, but we've been up against worse odds. Look, there's a lot you don't know about me. We'll talk about it when I get back, but just know I can take care of myself. Besides, you aren't getting rid of me that easily, kiddo." Happy said, kissing Scarlett's forehead before giving her a tight squeeze. She laughed a little and nodded her head.

"I've got to get on the road. I'll call you or text you when I can." Happy said as he led Scarlett back towards the center of the clubhouse. Her eyes were still puffy, but she wasn't crying anymore. She stayed close to Happy's side as they made their way outside where the others were waiting.

Scarlett looked up at him when he stopped suddenly. His eyes were chunks of black ice as he caught sight of the prospects talking to Gemma. Scarlett knew she shouldn't have told him what happened. She cursed herself as he kissed her on top of the head again before storming off towards the unsuspecting prospects.

"Go hold her back." Happy growled at Jax. Jax saw the look in his eyes and then the puffiness of Scarlett's eyes. He wanted to know what was going on, but Happy wasn't someone you stopped and reasoned with. He caught Scarlett around the waist as she hurried to catch up with Happy.

"Let me go, Jax. It's my fault." She said as she made a strong attempt to break his grip on her. He shook his head and smiled at her determined expression.

"Scarlett, I don't want him on me and he told me to hold you back. Whatever it is wasn't your fault." He said with a laugh as she gave up fighting him and shook her head slowly.

"You two want to tell me why the fuck you were running your mouths about the run for anyone to overhear?" Happy roared as he stepped in front of Gemma, looking down at the two men. Juice swallowed hard and looked up at Happy's wild eyes.

"I didn't think anybody was around." Juice said with a slight stutter. Happy grabbed the front of his kutte and pulled him up off his heels. Juice braced for the beating he knew Happy was about to dish out.

"Wrong, fucker. We're you the one saying you'd take somebody's seat if they didn't come back?" Happy growled with a maniacal tone. Juice swallowed hard. He hadn't been the one and would never say something like that, but he couldn't just throw a fellow prospect to the wolves. Happy dropped him and shook his head. "No, it wasn't you."

"Happy, man, I was just saying I'd help the club if I had to take someone's spot if they didn't come back." The dark headed prospect, Mitchell, said, trying to brush it off. Juice backed away slowly as Happy's eyes turned on Mitchell.

Happy decked the guy in the temple, knocking him down to the ground. The prospect tried to punch back, hoping to land a blow to get the enraged son off of him. Happy wasn't phased by the weak hit to his jaw. He landed blow after blow to Mitchell's face until Chibs found a safe opening to pull his brother off of the prospect.

"Happy! What tha hell, brotha?" Chibs exclaimed and he pulled him away from Mitchell. Happy spat towards the bloody prospect lying on the asphalt.

"Fucker gloated about taking somebody's seat if they didn't come back." Juice supplied Chibs with the spark that had set Happy off. Happy scowled as he thought about how that was only part of his reasoning. Had he not scared the shit out of Scarlett, the beating could have waited until after the run.

"He's out. He shows up again and I'll kill him." Happy spat at the SAMCRO president as he walked back to Scarlett and Jax. Chibs filled Clay in as the sound of Harley engines filled the lot.

"Be good. Don't let anybody push you around." Happy said, hugging Scarlett to him. She was less frightened than she figured she should be after watching her newly found father beat someone into a pulp. She nodded and squeezed his torso before he pulled away.

Happy gave her a quick smile from his Dyna as he started it up. She heard his promise running through her head as she watched him strap on his helmet. Regardless, she couldn't let him leave like that.

"Hap?" Scarlett said just loud enough for him to hear her over the roar of the engine. He looked up from pulling on leather gloves and raised a brow. "I love you. Please be careful."

Happy smiled openly as he nodded at his daughter. She was worlds calmer than she had been fifteen minutes ago, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was putting on a strong face for him. He ruffled her hair again.

"Love you too, kid." He whispered in her ear before revving the Harley heavily. She giggled and hurried back over towards the clubhouse to stand next to Jax. Clay gave the signal and the Sons filed out of the parking lot like a well oiled machine.


	6. Chapter 6

"He's a tough old bastard. He'll be fine, Scarlett." Jax said with a bright smile. She looked over at him and nodded. Suddenly, it hit her that she was in Charming for two days without Happy. She had always been the type of person that had to be doing something or at least hanging out with friends doing nothing. She sighed and turned her back on the garage as she headed into the clubhouse.

"Where are you going?" Jax said from a couple paces behind her. She stopped and turned back to look at the blonde biker.

"I was planning on reading or something. Why?" She asked, eyeing him with interest. He smiled and shook his head. Scarlett couldn't help but stare at his mouth as he spoke.

"Nope, you and I are going out for a ride." Jax said mysteriously. He knew Happy had told her she had to stay there, but as long as he was with her, he didn't really see the difference.

"Uh, okay then. I'll be right back." Scarlett said cautiously. She walked to Happy's dorm slowly, wondering why Jax was dragging her out of the clubhouse. More importantly, she had to wonder if Happy would be pissed. Normally, she wouldn't consider it, but she'd hate to see Jax's face rearranged like the prospect's. She shrugged, figuring Jax probably knew Happy better than she and grabbed a denim jacket to ride in. After touching up her make-up from crying it away, she headed out of the dorm, locking the door behind her.

"You ready?" Jax said with a grin as he swung a backpack on his back. Scarlett nodded and led the way out to the bikes. Jax eyed her curiously as she mounted the Harley Sportster. He had originally intended for her to ride bitch with him, but seeing her light up on a bike of her own forced him to reconsider.

"Lead the way, blondie." Scarlett called over the sound of his Dyna and her Sportster. He laughed and waved to someone behind Scarlett before heading out. Scarlett took a quick glace towards the garage and saw Gemma scowling towards her. She rolled her eyes and walked the bike forward a few feet before following Jax out of the lot.

They rode out towards the mountains, following the speed limit if not riding slightly slower. Scarlett couldn't shake the idea that he was riding slowly to accommodate her. Part of her was insulted but she took the opportunity to take in her surroundings as she followed him easily.

Jax signaled for a turn and led Scarlett down a smaller, less travelled road. She remembered Happy's warning about riding over changing road types and paid close attention to the road as the shoulder was comprised of mostly gravel. Jax continued down the road for a couple miles before pulling off carefully. Scarlett followed suit, getting a little nervous as her tires hit gravel.

She cut the engine and took her helmet off slowly. They were parked at a pull off overlooking a tall cliff. She was surprised there wasn't a guardrail, but considering how deserted the road seemed, she figured it would probably be a waste of tax money.

"You coming?" Jax asked as he stood next to Scarlett's bike. She seemed to snap out of whatever thought she was lost in, making Jax smirk. She swung her leg over the bike and hung her helmet on the handlebars as she headed out towards the cliff.

"Scarlett, mind backing away from the edge a little? I'd have to go into witness protection if you fell." Jax said lightly, despite how possible that outcome would be. Scarlett turned around and raised her brow at him.

"Jaxson Teller, you're afraid of heights aren't you?" Scarlett asked with a laugh as Jax's face reddened a little. He rolled his eyes and sat his bag down carefully as she turned back to the overlook. The California scenery stretched out before her as she enjoyed the breeze dancing over her skin. In the distance, she could almost make out the buildings of Charming.

Scarlett stretched her arms out to her sides as she relished the freedom and peacefulness of her surroundings. She leaned her head back and looked up at the sky when she heard a strange click behind her. She turned around slowly and narrowed her eyes at Jax.

Jax took another picture before lowering the camera and smiling at Scarlett. Her face relaxed as she laughed and did a little spin, raising up to the toe of one foot. Jax held the camera button down, hoping to catch several pictures of that surprising turn.

"I take it you dance?" Jax asked with a grin as Scarlett left the cliff and walked over to him. She laughed and shrugged.

"My Mom forced me to take ballet until my sophomore year of high school. I hated it, but I get to do fun stuff like that in front of bikers from time to time." Scarlett teased as she took the camera from Jax. She turned around, inspecting it closely before looking to Jax for some type of explanation.

"Borrowed it from Juice. He said if I keep it on automatic I should be okay." Jax said with a shrug as Scarlett flipped through the pictures he'd taken.

"Why?" Scarlett asked as she stared at the screen intently. Jax got the feeling she was avoiding looking at him.

"I guess because he didn't think I should mess with any settings. I usually just take pictures on my burner, so I trusted him." Jax said simply. Scarlett looked up at him and scowled.

"That's not what I was talking about. Why did you borrow a camera and bring me out here?" Scarlett asked, handing it back to him forcefully. Jax couldn't read her emotions. She was either pissed or some weird female emotion.

"You obviously like pictures. I thought we could take some and you could have them printed. The ones on your phone look good but Juice said this takes really good pictures. I knew you would probably be freaked out about being alone and Hap leaving. Sorry." Jax said, getting frustrated that he was having to explain himself and feeling like he was going to far for a girl he just met.

"Thank you, Jax." Scarlett said before hugging him tightly. He relaxed and smiled again. She had to admit, he had done a great job at distracting her.

"Yeah, no problem. Any pictures you want me to take, darlin?" Jax asked as Scarlett let go of him. She bit her lip and looked over at the bike. She made her way over to it, shaking her hair out to rid herself of helmet hair. Jax raised his brow as she sat on the Sportster and leaned over the tank cover seductively.

He picked his jaw up off the ground and took several pictures as she flipped her hair from one side to the other before arching her back and leaning her head back. He had to swallow hard and remember that she was Happy's daughter as thoughts of bending her over the bike ran through his mind.

Scarlett hopped off the bike and kicked the stand up. Jax sat the camera down on the bag and hurried over to help her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, grabbing the handlebars and holding the bike upright. She smiled at him. He didn't know if he liked the look in her eyes or not. The only way to describe the look he was getting was trouble.

"Bring it up closer to the cliff." Scarlett said, leaving Jax to it and directing him on exactly where to stop. He flipped the stand down and put some pressure on the seat, making sure it wouldn't move. He had to turn away and adjust his jeans as Scarlett discarded her denim jacket and sat on the bike backwards. Her long, tan legs were spread wide and her ass was in the air a little as she leaned forward, revealing the perky, round tops of her breasts.

Jax snapped more photos as she went from one sexy pose to another. After a few minutes, Scarlett hopped up from the bike and jogged over to Jax, leaning on him as she looked at the pictures he'd taken of her. She beamed as she saw herself on the bike with the sky and cliff behind her.

"Scarlett." Jax said huskily. She looked up from the display screen and noticed his eyes on her. She bit her bottom lip and stopped breathing as his free hand moved to the small of her back. He closed his eyes tightly and dropped his hand, replacing the look of desire with a forced smile.

"Are you hungry?" He asked as he pulled away from her and put the camera back in his bag. She let out a breath and nodded, plastering an equally fake smile on her face. He nodded and headed up towards the cliff to retrieve her bike.

Scarlett and Jax headed back towards Charming without another word. She was following him, wondering why she'd let herself get so close to kissing him. Jax was speeding back towards town, hoping the familiar surroundings would help him remember she was the daughter of the Tacoma Killer.

Jax pulled into a parking spot in front of Hanna's diner, one of the few restaurants in Charming. Scarlett pulled in right behind him, walking the bike back into the spot next to him. He watched her swing her leg over the bike gracefully before peeling of the denim jacket. She caught him looking at her and narrowed her eyes.

"What? It's hot as hell." She said a little coldly. Jax figured he probably deserved that, but couldn't help thinking how smooth her skin probably felt. He ran his hand through his hair and followed her swaying hips inside the diner.

"What'll you have?" The waitress asked as she eyeballed Jax. He ordered a burger and a soda, sliding the menu to the waitress without looking away from the saltshaker in his hands. Scarlett smiled brightly at her and ordered a grilled chicken salad and water. The waitress nodded and jotted it down before walking back to the counter slowly.

"So, how long have you been in the club?" Scarlett asked in an attempt to start a conversation. Jax flicked his eyes up at Scarlett and leaned back in the booth.

"Five years patched. Birth born." He said with a smirk. Scarlett laughed a little and nodded, unsure of what to say next.

"How long have you known about Happy?" He asked like they were taking turns in a quiz. She shrugged and fiddled with the napkin dispenser.

"A week." She answered simply as the waitress dropped of their drinks. Jax's eyes widened but he didn't push the subject. Scarlett didn't want to elaborate and ran out of tolerance for conversation. Much like Happy, she grew tired of small talk easily at times.

"You got a boyfriend back in Georgia?" Jax asked with his signature smirk. Scarlett folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. Jax smiled and nodded without a word. Scarlett narrowed her eyes as she thought about telling Jax she didn't want one either.

The waitress brought their meals and refilled their drinks as the two sat in uncomfortable silence. Jax looked amused and Scarlett looked pissed. He picked up a fry and popped it in his mouth with a chuckle.

"What?" Scarlett asked after washing down some salad with a gulp of water. Jax shook his head.

"Nothing, you and Happy have the same death stare, that's all." Jax said before taking a large chunk out of his burger. Scarlett tilted her head a little and sat her fork down.

"Resting bitch face." She said with a shrug. Jax almost choked as he laughed. "That's what it's called. I looked pissed or upset but it's just my face when I don't have any emotions."

"I'll have to let Hap know he has resting bitch face. Apparently it's hereditary." Jax said with a bright smile and laughter in his eyes. Scarlett shook her head and smirked.

"Don't think so. I'm pretty sure he's just pissed a lot." Scarlett laughed and Jax nodded in agreement. They finished their meals without talking much more. By the time they headed back to the clubhouse, it was well past five. Scarlett led the way back as she thought about what her dad might be doing at that very moment.


	7. Chapter 7

She pushed the thought from her mind, knowing it would worry her sick. Instead she decided to try calling her mother again as soon as she got to Happy's dorm. She backed the bike in quickly and headed inside as Jax watched with confusion. She closed the door behind her and selected her mom's contact in her phone.

"Hey baby!" Mariah said as she pulled the phone off of her bedside table.

"Hey! Why didn't you ever call me back? I called you yesterday, well, last night." Scarlett asked, getting her frustration off her chest. Mariah grimaced as she recalled looking at her daughter's number for hours without ever calling her.

"I'm sorry, honey. I've been really busy. I had to go to the grocery store this morning and I've been baking." She lied. She had to admit it was a poor excuse for not calling Scarlett, but hopefully that made it all the more believable. "Scarlett? Are you there, honey?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said simply as she tried to breathe deeply to calm herself. Happy wasn't the only one who despised being lied to.

"So, what have you been up to?" Mariah asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

"Learning to ride a motorcycle and making friends." Scarlett answered flatly. She was shutting the conversation down, no longer wanting to be on the phone.

"What? Why on earth are you riding a motorcycle?" Mariah said with a panic. The last thing she wanted was for Scarlett to be put in any avoidable danger.

"Why not? Happy taught me. I'm pretty much a natural according to Jax." Scarlett spat as she got more heated. Her mother who had lied to her moments before had no right to panic about a motorcycle.

"I will have to talk to him about that. You have no business driving a motorcycle. So, you're making friends?" Mariah asked, desperately wanting to get off the topic of bikes.

"Yeah, kind of. Jax is one of Happy's brothers. We shared a joint last night and hung out today." Scarlett admitted to get a rise out of Mariah.

"Very funny, Scarlett." Mariah said, growing tired of Scarlett's attitude. She hadn't gotten this type of attitude from her since went through puberty.

"Of the two of us on this call, I'm the only one who hasn't lied, Mother." Scarlett growled. She hadn't planned on calling her out, but it happened anyways.

"Excuse me?" Mariah coughed, caught completely off guard.

"Yeah, Megan fucking told me she had to bring you groceries because you were sick. I don't know why you're bull shitting me." Scarlett sighed, losing part of her anger to worry.

"Scarlett Annemarie Jensen! You have no right speaking to me like that. You sound just like your father. That is not how I raised you." Mariah scolded Scarlett. She was shocked at the change in her daughter in just under a week. She did not feel up to fighting, but she had to remind Scarlett who she really was.

"Seriously? You want to bring up raising me? You didn't do much until I was about ten. Before that you always made sure to have a fucking nanny around to deal with me. You know who didn't get that choice? My fucking father. He didn't even know about me." Scarlett struggled to keep her voice down as she became more pissed off.

"He wouldn't have stopped playing outlaw to be a father, Scarlett." Mariah said with venom as she remembered the last time she'd seen Happy.

"Maybe you're right and maybe you're wrong. We'll never know because you never gave him the fucking choice. Instead you pawned me off on employees and left him in the dark. Nunca te perdonaré!" Scarlett yelled as she jumped up from the bed and kicked the empty trash can.

"You can call me when you remember who you are, Scarlett." Mariah spat before ending the call and throwing the phone. A woman in white scrubs hurried in the room and came to Mariah's side. Mariah waved her off. She could still cry in her own house if she wanted to.

Scarlett hurled the phone on the bed as she spun around to head to the bar. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jax standing in the doorway with a worried expression. She opened her mouth to yell at him but couldn't find the words. Jax turned on his heel and headed down the hallway, leaving the door wide open.

"Here, pick your poison." Jax said as he returned a couple minutes later with a drink and a joint. Scarlett couldn't help but laugh. She let out a heavy sigh and took the joint. Jax sat down next to her and lit the end for her. She took a much smaller hit than last night and passed it to him. Halfway through the joint, she stopped taking it from him.

"So, you yell in Spanish when you're pissed?" Jax asked with a chuckle as he tested the waters. Scarlett laughed and nodded before letting her back fall down to the bed. Jax finished the joint, putting it out in the empty drink glass, before lying back to join her.

"Sometimes. She hates it because she has no idea what I'm saying. It's a good thing." Scarlett said as she stared up at the ceiling. The joint made her chatty.

"When I was born, my mom wasn't really ready for a kid. She hired nannies to take care of me until I was almost in middle school. They were usually Hispanic and would teach me Spanish. By the time I was eight I was fluent." Scarlett shared, surprising Jax since their previous conversation had felt like pulling teeth.

"Well, I wouldn't suggest you yell at Happy in Spanish. He'd understand you." Jax said, looking over a Scarlett with a smile. Her brow rose as she took a mental note of that.

"Thanks for the heads up." She said, turning back to look at the ceiling. Jax decided to take advantage of her high-induced chattiness.

"So, you took ballet and had nannies? You a rich kid or something?" Jax asked with a laugh. He was only teasing but Scarlett nodded.

"I guess. My grandparents owned a lot of land and businesses and stuff. They died and left everything to my mom when I was a toddler. I don't know much about it, but I know it was enough for my mom to hire employees to deal with me and shit. She goes in for board meetings and stuff but other than that she's just kind of volunteered, baked and did the whole parenting thing for the past eight years." Scarlett said, struggling to remember a time that Mariah had an actual job. She volunteered a lot, but that was about it.

"Damn. I guess you miss home then. This isn't exactly the Ritz." Jax said honestly. He loved the simplicity of Charming and the clubhouse, but could see how she may hate it. She looked at him and scowled.

"No, not really. I miss my friends and I guess my mom, but I get tired of home. There, I always have to deal with people judging me or telling me to act a certain way because of who my family is. Here, I can just be me. Here, my family is a badass biker and I can just be me." Scarlett said with a growing smile. "Besides, I happen to like the clubhouse and Charming."

"What'd your mom lie to you about? Sorry, I kind of heard everything." He admitted as she looked at him with her dark eyes.

"Honestly? I don't know. She said she went to the grocery store when I know my best friend brought groceries over yesterday. That makes me think she's lying about something else. She says she feels better, but I'm starting to wonder if I can trust anything she says." Scarlett said, being brutally honest with herself. Jax sighed and nodded, thinking about how often he wonders what his mother lies to him about.

"Will you grab that?" Scarlett said, pointing up towards her phone that had vibrated several times. Jax reached up and grabbed it, passing it over to Scarlett before getting a cigarette out.

**_Safe so far so stop worrying. Love you kid._**

Scarlett smiled at the message from Happy as she messaged him a quick okay and "love you too." She backed out to the rest of her messages and opened Megan's folder.

**_HEY! You suck at sending pictures. Any more of the hot blonde or hell, anything?_**

"You into croweaters or did you send a picture of me to somebody?" Jax teased Scarlett as she blushed deeply. He put away the unlit cigarette and laughed as he took her phone. He went into the camera application and turned the camera towards himself before scowling and taking a picture. Scarlett fell into a fit of giggling as she tried to stop him from sending it to Megan. Almost instantly, Megan responded.

**_Seriously? OMG! I'd hit that in a minute! Is that a bed he's on? SCAR!_**

"See what you did?" Scarlett said still laughing. Jax smiled as he took in the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. He caught the scent of honey as she pulled her hair out from under her back.

Scarlett went back into her camera and looked over at Jax with a dangerous smile. He raised his brow and laughed as she took a picture of herself.

"Give me that, darlin'. If she's going to freak out, might as well go all out." Jax said, pulling her closer to him so they could both be in the picture that time. Jax had planned on Scarlett being closer to him, deciding not to make any advances on her since she was high. Scarlett, on the other hand, took the phone and stretched her arm out high above them before kissing him fully on the mouth.

Jax pulled back, wondering where that had come from. Scarlett smiled and sent the picture to her best friend quickly before tossing the phone up towards the pillows again. She looked back over at Jax and bit her bottom lip as she realized he had been the one to pull back. She was about to apologize when Jax ran his hand over her shoulder and kissed her lips.

Scarlett parted her lips and bit Jax's lip lightly. He ran his hand down to her hip and pulled her closer to him. She was on her side as he had his back on the bed. Scarlett was meeting his lips with equal intensity. The weight of his hand on her hip had her craving to feel his touch.

Jax was surprised when she rolled herself on top of him with her knees on either side of his waist. His hand slid down to her ass automatically. The feel of her on top of him had him wanting all of her.

"Scarlett, woah." Jax said, kicking himself as soon as she did as he said. Her lips were even fuller from the friction of making out. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a sigh as she rolled off of him. "I'm sorry. We can't." He groaned.

"No, I'm pretty sure we could, but don't worry about it." Scarlett said, sitting up and straightening her top. She looked at him and raised her brow. He sat up and met her eyes, longing to kiss her again.

"Can you go?" It was a question, but Scarlett's voice made it sound more like a demand. Jax swallowed his pride, knowing Happy would have his ass if he pissed her off.

"Yeah, okay Scarlett." Jax threw over his shoulder as he walked out of the dorm, closing the door behind him. Scarlett stripped out of clothes and crawled underneath the sheets, furious with herself for getting high and making out with Jax. She reminded herself not to smoke weed again.

"Jax, how did the camera work out?" Juice asked as Jax sat a few seats down at the bar. Jax looked over at the prospect and rolled his eyes.

"Fucking perfect." He muttered, referring more to Scarlett than the camera. Juice looked at him with a lost expression.

"Show me how to print them later." Jax said, shooting back some tequila. Juice smiled and hitched his shoulder.

"I can print 'em for ya, Jax." Juice offered with a smile. His smile faded when he saw Jax glare at him.

"No, I told you to show me. If I wanted you to print them I would have told you to." Jax growled as he thought about Juice seeing some of the poses Scarlett had done. She was fully clothed, but that didn't make her any less sexy.

"Starting to sound like Happy." Juice grumbled lowly. Jax caught the last part and ordered Juice to go check the perimeter of the building. It was something they only did during lockdown but Jax just wanted to get Juice out of his face.

"Hey baby, something I can do for you tonight?" A brunette croweater named Wendy asked.

"Yeah, fuck off." Jax spat as he stormed off to his own dorm room, slamming the door closed behind him.

**A/N: This was supposed to be with the last chapter but it was too long to put up together. Thank you for all the reviews and no, I'm not a Wendy hater I just thought we needed a touch of comic relief lol :) Scarlett told her mom: I will never forgive you (in Spanish).**


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, we'll be back this afternoon. It's Friday, so there's a party if you want to stick around for it." Happy's voice made Scarlett smile for the first time in two days. She yawned and stretched out on the bed.

"Yeah, that's fine. Be careful." She said groggily. Happy laughed at how sleepy she sounded at noon.

"Always. Later, Kid." Happy said before ending the call and starting his bike. He was still waiting on the others to come out of the gas station so they could get back on the road.

Scarlett rolled out of bed and got in the shower to wash off the twelve hours of sleep on her skin. The morning after she kicked Jax out of the dorm, she'd resolved to stay in the dorm as much as possible. She came out every now and then to eat or talk to Juice a little, but for the most part she sat at the desk and chatted with Megan on her laptop or read a book.

She'd seen Jax a couple of times, but neither one of them spoke to the other. She wasn't mad at him. She was mad at herself for letting her guard down. She assumed he was pissed she'd kicked him out, despite him stopping the action.

Scarlett stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed. She was more than relieved to have Happy back in town and go home. All the same, she was excited to see what a biker party was really like since she'd been on the roof during the last one. She considered her outfit options for quite a while, standing in the dorm butt naked as she emptied the contents of her bag on the bed.

She finally decided on a top Megan had given her for her birthday last year and a pair of dark jeans that clung to her like a second skin until the flared out past her knees. As she blew her hair out, she considered what she would look like if she had tattoos. She laughed as she decided she would ask Happy about getting one before the end of the summer.

Once her hair was on point, she lined her eyes with black kohl and dashed on some mascara before getting dressed. She pursed her lips as she looked at herself in the mirror on the back of the bathroom door. The top was nothing more than an oversized black bandanna. She added a strapless black bra to add a bit of modesty.

After shimmying into her jeans, she stepped into her black cowboy boots and headed outside. She had gotten Juice to buy her a pack of smokes yesterday. Scarlett realized was halfway through the pack as she took one out and hopped up on the top of the picnic table. As she lit the cigarette, she looked over to her Sportster longingly. She'd asked Juice to go with her on a ride, but he'd refused, too afraid to even ask Happy's permission.

"Morning." Jax said as he joined Scarlett on the picnic table. He was tired of avoiding her and the bandanna she covered her boobs with made it that much harder.

"Somewhere." Scarlett said with a laugh as she offered Jax a cigarette. He took it and bummed her lighter as she blew a trail of smoke up towards the clear, blue sky.

"Look, I don't want to dance around you anymore. I like you. You're smart and pretty fucking hot. I stopped because you were high." Jax said with a sigh after taking a long drag on the cigarette. Scarlett watched as each word from his mouth let out a puff of smoke.

"You're not that ugly yourself, Teller. I asked you to leave because if you stayed, I would have wanted you to." Scarlett told Jax, realizing the truth as she spoke. It wasn't that she didn't want Jax. She just didn't want to want someone and get hurt again.

"Here." Jax said with a smirk. He was holding out a manila envelope. Scarlett flicked her cigarette butt away and opened the envelope quickly. She looked back up at Jax with bright eyes.

"Wow. You didn't have to do that." She said with a little color coming up in her cheeks. The pictures he'd taken of her out at the cliff had all been printed in 8x10. She flipped through the pictures before sliding them back inside and setting it down beside her.

Scarlett wrapped her arms around Jax's shoulders and smiled up at him. He felt that familiar warmth in his stomach as the sun caught her hair and her eyes shone even brighter.

"Thank you, Jax." Scarlett said as she dropped her arm back down to her lap. Jax leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"If you have a jacket we can go on a ride before the guys get back." Jax said with a grin. She was already heading inside before he could finish his sentence. He laughed as she came back out with her denim jacket on moments later. She picked up the envelope and headed towards her Sportster.

After securing the pictures in her saddle-bag and locking it, she followed Jax out of the lot. They rode around Charming and then out towards the desert like area between there and Lodi. After an hour on the road, Jax signaled for them to turn around.

On the way back, Scarlett was in the lead and took full advantage of the empty straight of the freeway ahead of her. She smiled and gave the Sportster wide open throttle. Jax was caught by surprise and struggled to catch up by the time it registered with him. By then, Scarlett had slowed back down from 102mph to 60mph.

Jax passed her and stayed out in front to make sure she didn't pull that on him again. They pulled into a gas station and she was still smiling as she took her helmet off.

"You tell Happy about that shit and I'll deny all of it, babe." Jax proclaimed with a laugh as he saw the wild smile on her face. She nodded and held up one finger over her lips. He shook his head and took her by the hand as they walked inside.

Scarlett bought another pack of smokes and a water as Jax used the restroom. She was waiting on her bike when he came back out, obviously relieved to see her sitting there safe and sound.

"You ready to go? Guys should be there about an hour after we get back." Jax asked as he finished off the water Scarlett had shared with him. She nodded and flipped her helmet on her head, being a complete rebel and not bothering with the strap.

"Where the hell have you been?" Gemma snapped at Jax after he and Scarlett killed the engines. Jax rolled his eyes as he climbed off the Dyna. Scarlett stayed seated.

"On a ride, why?" He looked at his mother without interest in the lecture he knew was forming.

"Wasn't asking you, Jaxson. Thanks though. You. You need to help stock the bar and clean." Gemma said, and pointed a long finger at Scarlett. She got up from the bike and folded her arms over her chest.

"Isn't that what the croweaters are for when they aren't sucking someone off?" Scarlett asked with a cold tone as Gemma advanced towards her. Gemma smiled darkly as Scarlett met her eyes.

"That's what anyone I tell is good for. You've been hiding out in that dorm all week and taking advantage of my hospitality. That shit ends now." Gemma growled at Scarlett. She was used to being able to look down on women, but this little girl had her by an inch if she was in flats.

"If you asked, I would have helped. You aren't shit to me. You don't tell me what to do." Scarlett said darkly. Gemma realized how dark her eyes got before she turned away and headed to the clubhouse, Jax following closely behind.

"Most women don't stand up to her like that." Jax said with an impressed grin. Scarlett shrugged and plopped down on a leather couch. She watched as Jax headed back to the kitchen without a word.

A few minutes later, he came out with sub sandwich and waters for each of them. Scarlett took the plate he offered her and laughed.

"I know you didn't make this." She said before taking a big bite.

"So? I had some of those girls that listen to my mom do it for us." He said, struggling to keep a straight face. Scarlett couldn't help but laugh. She finished most of the sandwich and collected their plates before heading into the kitchen. Jax leaned back and heard the familiar sound of v-twin motorcycle engines roaring into the lot.

"Scarlett, the guys are back." Jax called into the kitchen. She gave up trying to find the dishwasher and sat the plates in the sink before hurrying out to the parking lot. She was smiling from ear to ear as she watched Happy climb off the bike slowly before stretching his arms high above his head.

"Church in five." Clay announced as he took his wife into his arms. Scarlett looked on and could see the sour look on her face as she spoke to Clay. She had a feeling that Gemma was chewing Clays ear about their words earlier.

"Hey kid." Happy said, grabbing Scarlett's attention away from the royal family. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned back and picked her up off her feet in a big hug. His back was killing him as a result of landing hard from a jump off a roof. He did his best not to reveal his pain.

"Happy! How was the run?" Scarlett said after he let her slide back down to the ground. Happy wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked back in the clubhouse.

"It was fine. Told you I'd come back." He said with a smirk. Scarlett elbowed him in the ribs for teasing her, but immediately regretted it when a grimace flashed across his face.

"Yeah, I remember you saying something about being able to take care of yourself. Did you get hurt or are you just getting too old for runs?" Scarlett asked, folding her arms across her chest as he tossed his leather saddlebags on his bed. He turned around and glared at her.

"Smartass. I'm not old yet. I'm still walking and talking. Stop fussing." He said ruffling her hair. "Are you not burning up in that jacket? I've got church."

Happy was smiling until he got back into the main area of the clubhouse. Then, he wiped it off his face. He wouldn't let his brothers see him getting too soft now that he had a kid around. He had a reputation to uphold.

"Hey" Jax said, clapping Happy affectionately on his back. Happy felt a bolt of pain shoot through to his chest, but kept a straight face with some effort.

"She give you trouble?" Happy asked as he took his seat next to Jax. He wanted to ask if she was okay while he was gone, but knew that would sound weak.

"Nah, brother. Stood up to Gemma again before you got here. She can hold her own." Jax said with a grin as he remembered the look on her face as she and Gemma bickered. Happy narrowed his eyes at Jax, not liking the smile on his brother's face when it came to Scarlett.

"Alright, let's get this started." Clay ordered as he took the seat at the head of the table. "We heard from Lohen. Opie's sentencing was today. Five years. Good news is, the Russians have his back so he's safe." Clay announced as church got started. Happy leaned back in his seat, pissed to hear the sentence but relieved to have a back rest.


	9. Chapter 9

Scarlett cleaned up in Happy's dorm for a few minutes before hanging her jacket on the back of the door and heading out to the bar. She put a knot in the bow holding her top on as she walked down the hall.

"Dress like a sweetbutt but don't do the work, huh?" Gemma snarled as Happy's daughter rounded the corner. She had to admit the girl was easy on the eyes, but she was certainly a pain in the ass. Her tan shoulders, midriff, and back were all on display as the black bandana struggled to even cover her chest. The fact that she pulled it off without looking like a whore pissed Gemma off even more.

"Seriously? What's your problem with me?" Scarlett asked with a sigh as she planted her boots and propped a hand on her hip. She was annoyed that Gemma was dampening her spirits.

"I don't trust you. You roll into town and act like you own the place just because your sperm donor is a Son." Gemma spat at the young girl. Scarlett's expression darkened at the reference to Happy. She'd been building what felt like a good relationship with her father, and now this woman was trying to discredit that.

"Gemma, I don't know why you're such a hateful person, but stop putting your shit on me. I'm tired of being treated like an enemy just because you have some vendetta. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." Scarlett said calmly. She was sick of trying to settle things. If she couldn't mend fences, she'd just avoid the woman all together.

The chapel doors opened before Gemma could respond. She caught Happy eyeing her suspiciously as he walked past them to the bar. She didn't appreciate some little gash telling her what to do, but knew better than to take on the hotheaded girl and her crazy father at the same time. Her anger flared as Jax walked past and gave Scarlett a suggestive wink.

"Scarlett, come here." Happy called from his seat next to Chibs. She flashed a polite smile towards Gemma and made her way over to the bar. Happy's eyes darkened as he noticed what she was wearing.

"Did you run out of shirts?" He asked as she rested her elbows on the backs of his and Chibs' stools. Scarlett narrowed her eyes at Happy, ignoring his comment. He rolled his eyes.

"Did you call me over to talk about laundry or what?" Scarlett laughed. She realized any normal father would have the same reaction, but it amused her all the same.

"Whatever. Chibs wanted you." He grumbled as he realized that his daughter didn't give a damn about his objections to her top.

"Aye, my daughter's comin in ta town and I want ta ask ya a favor." Chibs said, trying to ignore the way Scarlett's hips filled out her jeans. He was a little older than her father and felt like a creepy old man thinking about her curves, regardless of how nice they were.

"I didn't know you had a daughter. How old is she?" Scarlett asked with a smile as she looked forward to another daughter coming into town.

"Aye, she lives in Ireland with her mum. She just turned 14. I was hoping you wouldn't mind teaching her how to ride." Chibs said, determined to keep his eyes on her face.

"Uh, well, I mean, Happy just taught me. I don't think." Scarlett started before seeing Chibs shake his head.

"Lass, I was talkin' bout horses, not Harleys." Chibs said with a laugh as Scarlett's eyes opened in surprise.

"First, how do you know I ride? Second, I haven't seen the horse you hide in the garage." Scarlett said, eyeing Happy suspiciously. Something told her he knew more about her than he was letting on.

"What? I know how to google. A friend has horses." Happy said with a shrug. To be honest, he had Juice pull what information on Scarlett he could once Happy learned she was coming to Charming. It was protocol to check on anyone coming into the club. Juice had showed him several articles about Scarlett's riding competitions and winnings.

"Snoop. I'd be happy to show her though. Just make sure that friend knows she needs a horse with patience." Scarlett advised Chibs with a sweet smile. He nodded and thanked her before heading off to join a croweater on one of the couches.

"Scarlett," Happy started until he felt his personal phone vibrating on his leg. He was sitting with Scarlett so he knew it was either his mom or Mariah. Unfortunately, it was the latter. He answered the phone, resting an elbow on the bar as Scarlett grabbed a couple of beers from behind the counter.

"Yeah?" Happy answered shortly. Mariah sighed, glad to finally get an answer from him.

"You want to tell me why you have my daughter riding a motorcycle?" Mariah snapped. She'd planned on easing into the subject, but that was two days ago when she had first tried calling him.

"What?" Happy's expression darkened as he took the bottle Scarlett was offering and sat down next to him. Mariah repeated her words again.

"I'm not deaf. What do you think you're doing biting my head off. She's an adult." Happy growled. Scarlett's brows raised as she assumed the caller was her mother. She'd figured they would have talked already.

"I know how old she is. She's still my daughter and she has no business riding a motorcycle. I can't deal with constantly worrying if she's wrecked and dying on the side of some road." Mariah said angrily. She felt like he had no right to endanger her like that.

"She's fine. She's sitting right next to me so pull your stick out of your ass, Mariah. Don't fucking call me and act like I have to take your shit." Happy said, doing his best to keep his voice down. Scarlett's eyes had gone cold as she openly listened in.

"Really? I guess you know about her smoking marijuana with some brother of yours. I never should have sent her out there. You are corrupting my daughter. I should have known. You were never one for responsibility." Mariah yelled as she recalled his reckless ways from years ago. She decided to dig another dagger in. "I'm glad you didn't get to her sooner, not that you would have stuck around."

"Fuck you. Yeah, she smoked a joint with Jax, who fucking cares. You ran off like a bitch. Never say I wouldn't have raised her when you took that from me." Happy said loudly. Scarlett swallowed hard, regretting mentioning the joint to her.

"My daughter." Mariah started to say until she heard a loud crash on the other end of the phone. Scarlett jerked her bottle away, worried Happy would want another beer to throw against the wall. A croweater gave him a pissed look as she went to clean the glass up.

"Scarlett es mi hija también. Deja de actuar como si yo fuera el malo de la película." Happy yelled before ending the call and storming off towards his dorm. Scarlett swallowed hard and helped the croweater clean the beer off the wall as she processed what had just happened.

He had told her mom that she was his daughter to, and said to quit making him out to be the bad guy. Scarlett couldn't help but laugh at how they both seemed to use her lack of language during a fight. She knew she should have comforted her mom, but she was still too mad at Mariah for lying to her.

Scarlett knocked on his door softly. Happy flung the door open, with wild eyes until he realized who was standing there. His expression softened a little as he stepped aside to let her in. She kept her eyes on him as she took a set on the bed, crossing her legs in front of her.

"Lo siento que no te dan la opción." Scarlett said quietly as Happy paced the room. Her Spanish stopped him in his tracks. He sighed and leaned against the wooden desk next to his bed.

"It's not your fault. You take Spanish in school?" Happy said as he chewed on the toothpick in his mouth. Scarlett relaxed as his eyes lightened a little.

"Yeah, but I already knew it. It was an easy A." She said with a laugh. Happy raised his brow. "Hispanic nannies pretty much raised me for a while."

"So employees raised you but I couldn't. Great." Happy said, hurt to hear the sadness in her statement. He sighed and leaned forward.

"Look, Scarlett, I'm pissed at Mariah but she had her reasons for leaving. I can't say I would have been a good parent." Happy said as he struggled to find a way to soften the blow.

"I'm not a good father figure. Hell, I'm not even a good person. You have to keep everything I tell you between us." Happy gnawed on the inside of his bottom lip. Finally, he figured pictures might help.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Scarlett said, bringing a brow up as Happy took off his kutte, hoodie, t-shirt and undershirt. Her eyes flicked from one tattoo to the next. She paused on several happy faces on his ribs before finally focusing on the text around the base of his neck. She read it over and over: I live, I die, I kill for my family.

"It's not just a tattoo. That's me, Scarlett. I've killed people before and I'll probably kill more. These are the ones I've had to do for my club or family." Happy said, pointing at the smiley faces on his ribs. He couldn't read Scarlett's expression. She had wiped away any trace of emotion or reaction from her face.

"Why are you telling me this?" Scarlett finally said, her mouth feeling uncomfortably dry. She had a feeling the club wasn't exactly knitting on their run, but the truth was a hard pill to swallow.

"Because you need to know. Mariah knew I was dangerous, but she didn't actually know what we're talking about now. She wasn't around long enough to know." Happy said, grabbing his undershirt and pulling it down over his head.

"Was it ever random?" Scarlett asked calmly. Happy looked at her with a furrowed brow, not ready for such a reaction.

"No, Scarlett. There's always been a reason." He said honestly. She nodded and let out a sigh as her shoulders relaxed.

"Well, I'm family so there's no reason for me to be scared. At least I get why you think you can take care of yourself, old man." Scarlett flashed a smile at Happy. It shocked him to see her take it so well. Part of him worried she was as twisted as he was. Happy shrugged his shoulder and stood up, pulling his daughter into his arms.

"Enough heavy shit. It sounds like the party's going now." Happy said, kissing the top of her head softly. Scarlett nodded and tossed him his t-shirt.

"At least look half decent, Jesus Christ, Happy." Scarlett laughed loudly as he scowled at her and popped her leg with the shirt.

"Shut up, kid. Least I have a fucking shirt on." He growled as she laughed again and hurried out of the dorm. Happy pulled the door to as he shrugged his kutte on and followed his smartass daughter out to the party.

Tig let out a low whistle as he watched Scarlett walk out into the party. The way her hips swayed with every step distracted him from the killer of a father on her heels. Scarlett rolled her eyes and flashed him a grin as she passed him on the way outside. Tig licked his lips, enjoying the sight of her walking away even more.

"Don't matter if they just met or not. Hap will kill you for lookin at her that way, brother." Bobby said with a chuckle as Tig turned back to their conversation.

"Did you not see that fine piece of ass?" Tig asked, gesturing behind him with his thumb.

"See what, asshole?" Happy growled as he towered above Tig. He'd walked up behind the couch just after Tig turned around. Bobby could have warned him, but found it hilarious when Tig dug himself into holes.

Tig swallowed hard and quickly jumped out of Happy's reach. He looked to Bobby and Piney for some time of back up, but neither man had a death wish that night.

"Hap, I brother, I was just callin' it like I see it. It was a compliment. It just came out wrong." Tig said quickly. Happy narrowed his black eyes as a croweater snaked her arm around his waist.

"Your balls will come out wrong through your throat if you say shit like that again." Happy said as he dealt with an internal struggle. He was torn between brotherhood and castrating Tig. On the one hand, he would be doing the world a favor to stop any further reproduction. On the other, he was the club's Sergeant at Arms and a brother.

"Okay, Hap, I get it." Tig said nodding his head as he squeezed himself in the couch between Happy and Piney. Piney shot him a dark look and knocked back another swig of Patron. Happy took over the couch Tig had abandoned, pulling the croweater with him.

"Scarlett!" Juice said with a smile as he caught sight of the redhead walking out towards the fire pit. She smiled and walked over.

"Hey, Juice. How's it going?" Scarlett asked as she took the beer he offered her. She liked how easy Juice was to talk to.

"Eh, now that I'm the only prospect I'm running around like a headless chicken. I thought slavery ended a long time ago." He said with a laugh as she raised her brow and hitched a shoulder.

"I get that. It doesn't exactly seem like a walk in the park, but you signed up for it didn't you?" Scarlett asked bluntly. Juice shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. You make up with Gemma?" Juice asked, throwing Scarlett off with the sudden change in subject. She shook her head slowly.

"Not hardly. Why?" She asked, slightly annoyed that he brought it up. His eyes widened at her words.

"She's been asking where you were and I'm pretty sure she just found you." Juice said with a nodding motion towards Scarlett. She turned around and brought a palm up to her forehead.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She said, throwing her guard up. Gemma had a croweater's arm in her hand and drug her over towards Scarlett and Juice. Scarlett noticed everyone getting quieter and turning their eyes to the situation.

"Hi, Gemma." Scarlett said cordially as the woman stopped in front of her. Gemma curled her mouth into a tight smile.

"You know who this is, brat?" Gemma said with an amused tone. She would put this girl in her place one way or another. Scarlett looked at the croweater and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Should I?" Scarlett asked in an even voice. She had no idea where Gemma was going with this, but it probably wasn't good. She groaned as she saw Happy storming out of the clubhouse behind Jax. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint her dad, but she would defend herself if she had to.

"This, brat, is Deena. Deena has been around for about a year now. She cleans, tends bar, and helps out with anything I ask." Gemma proclaimed. She was getting to her point when Scarlett interrupted her.

"That's really great. If this is about me staying here, you don't have to worry. I'm going back to Happy's house tonight. I'm sorry about earlier but you could have asked me." Scarlett said, making a final attempt to push past the issue. She was amazed that a grown woman was holding such a grudge against her.

"You know what else Deena does? She fucks my son when ever he's in the mood. She's not the only one either." She said, finally letting the brunette's arm go. Deena looked at Gemma with confusion and embarrassment before disappearing into the crowd. Gemma wasn't done yet. "That's what respect earns you. I'd rather my son fuck the help than come anywhere near you. You aren't family. Never will be."

Scarlett was stunned. She couldn't care less that Deena and other croweaters fucked Jax. Chibs had given her the lowdown on their role almost a week ago. What did bother her was Gemma's undeserved hostility and brutal words about family. She moved her eyes up towards Happy and saw the anger in his eyes and ripping through his muscles. Scarlett just wanted to go home and watch tv with him like before the run.

Gemma smirked at the young woman's frozen form. She must have been shocked because her face was completely blank. The only time she saw her move was to flick her eyes up towards either Happy or Jax. Gemma was about to chalk it up as a success until Scarlett's face hardened. She watched as the leggy redhead scowled at her as she headed across the circle that had formed around them.

"Happy is the only family I need here. Go to hell, old woman." Scarlett snapped as she walked towards her father. Gemma grabbed her arm and yanked her around. Scarlett let out a sigh and shook her head, ripping her arm out of Gemma's grip. She felt a shove to her back, causing her to stumble. She was right in front of Happy now.

"I'm sorry." She told him with a frown. Happy was livid and had all intentions to break his word about hitting a woman. Had Scarlett's sad apology not thrown him off, he would have already punched the self proclaimed Queen of Samcro across the mouth. Scarlett took a deep breath and her face went cold.

"Holy shit." Tig said from Happy's side as the scene unfolded in front of them in slow motion. Scarlett had turned back to face Gemma and gotten slapped straight across the face. Scarlett flipped her hair back and smiled at the woman. Tig and everyone else but her father recognized that smile, it was the same one Happy got right before bashing someone's head in.

Scarlett pulled her fist back and punched Gemma square in the face with expert follow through. Gemma stumbled backwards a few steps before lunging forward at her. Scarlett dodged her wild right hook and caught the back of Gemma's head, holding it down as she brought her knee up swiftly. Gemma let out a primal scream as Scarlett shoved her down to the asphalt. She stood still, towering above Gemma as blood poured from her broken nose. Scarlett frowned down at the woman, before turning away.

Happy had his gun drawn and aimed down towards Gemma. Scarlett's eyes widened as she looked back and saw Gemma holding a small pistol out, aimed squarely at Scarlett's own back.


	10. Chapter 10

Scarlett turned back and looked Happy in the eyes, shaking her head slowly. She pressed his hand down as she pushed through the crowd to get back inside the clubhouse.

"Mom, put the fucking gun down." Jax snapped, as Happy stood frozen with his glock pointing straight down at the ground. Jax knew Happy would eventually snap out of it and see Gemma as a threat. As the most violent brother, it would be a reflex to unload a clip into her, President's wife or not.

Gemma looked from Jax to Happy and grudgingly put her gun back into her waistband. She moved a hand up to her bleeding nose and glared at Happy. It was his daughter's fault that she was going to have to fork out money for a nose job.

"Don't call me unless it's an emergency." Happy snapped at no one in particular as he turned back towards the clubhouse. Gun still in his hand, he walked back inside. He didn't put it back in the holster until he was back in his dorm. Scarlett was sitting on the end of his bed, legs crossed in front of her. She was unscathed except a small cut above her left eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. I can change my ticket and leave in the morning." Scarlett said as she stared down at the denim of her jeans. She heard Happy sigh and close the door behind him.

"No, you won't. Scarlett, look at me." Happy said as he squatted down in front of her. She didn't move. He ran a hand over his bald head before dropping down to his knees. "Baby, stop hanging your head. You're my kid. You don't fucking hang your head."

Scarlett brought her head up slightly. His words had been rough but his tone was softer than she had heard yet. She sighed and rubbed her knuckles gingerly. Happy chuckled and she brought her eyes up to meet his.

"Your hand will probably hurt for a while. That punch was beautiful." Happy said with a smile. Scarlett grunted and shook her head.

"Guess I'm a visual learner." Scarlett scoffed as she recalled the blows Happy had dished out to Mitchell. Happy laughed and nodded.

"I think your genes help some to. Why did you apologize to me out there?" Happy asked looking at her quizzically. Scarlett raised her brow and realized he was serious.

"Happy, I just beat the shit out of your club president's wife. I should have just left it but I couldn't. I tried. She said I wasn't family and that pissed me off and hurt me." Scarlett said, swallowing hard to keep her tears at bay. "Then she shoved me and I lost it."

"Baby, you don't apologize for that. If you didn't hit her I might have. I don't give a fuck if she was my wife. I'll deal with Clay. Nobody is going to talk to my daughter like that, especially when you tried to be civil." Happy said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He felt a tear and his blood started to boil again.

"You are family. Everyone that's met you loves you, besides that bitch. Even if they didn't, even if they hated you, you're my little girl and I love you." Happy said with complete honesty. Scarlett bit her bottom lip and nodded before flinging herself down and hugging him around the neck.

"I love you to, Dad." Scarlett said as a mix of happy and frustrated tears fell down her cheeks. Happy's heart fluttered at the D word. He was completely aware of how soft he was getting, but he didn't care. He felt her shutter as she cried.

"So, what was that about Jax?" He said with a grin. He was trying to make her stop crying, even though he wanted to ring Jax's neck.

"Really?" Scarlett said with a laugh as she backed up to her original spot on the bed. Happy nodded as he stood. "She's delusional. We went on two rides while you were gone and talked some. Apparently I can't be her son's friend unless I suck his dick and I don't clean the clubhouse so I'm not allowed to do that."

Happy grimaced as she mentioned sucking someone's dick. He wasn't stupid, they had croweaters her age from time to time, but he didn't want to think about her with anybody like that. He shook his head to banish the idea.

"By all means, don't clean then." Happy said, earning a glare from Scarlett. He laughed and straightened his kutte. "Seriously, baby, you're a grown woman but I don't want you getting hurt by any of these ass holes. I don't care if you're friends but no dick sucking or any of that shit."

"Yeah? What were you doing before someone got you out of the clubhouse?" Scarlett asked with a laugh as she stood up. Happy smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Wasn't sucking dick if that's what you mean." He said with a laugh. Scarlett rolled her eyes and punched his arms softly.

"Your fly is still down, old man. You coming?" She said as she pulled her top up and looked back at him. "Last time I checked there's still a party going on and I'd hate to be a cock block. "

Happy zipped his jeans before he ruffled her hair. She snorted and followed him down the hallway. Tig met her at the end of the bar with a Jack and Coke.

"Don't repeat this but she's had that coming for years." Tig said with a wink as she took the drink. Happy smirked and nodded at his brother, confident that he got the message about disrespecting her.

"Scarlett! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Deena said, rushing up to her and grabbing her elbow. She quickly rethought grabbing her and dropped her hand. Scarlett nodded and followed her into the kitchen.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Deena threw her arms around Scarlett's chest, almost spilling her drink. Scarlett felt awkward as the croweater held on to her. She patted the girl's back awkwardly and breathed a sigh of relief when Deena let her go and backed up.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to thank you for that. I know it wasn't for me but what she did really embarrassed me. Everyone knows what I do, but I don't want to be called out in front of them like that." She said as her cheeks reddened. Scarlett smiled sweetly and nodded.

"I try not to make a habit of it, but you're welcome, I guess." Scarlett said as they made their way back towards the bar. Deena smiled and nodded as they parted ways.

"Hero of the whores." Jax said as he walked up behind Scarlett. She turned around, surprised to see him talking to her.

"Shouldn't you take your mom to the hospital?" Scarlett blurted out before filtering herself at all. Jax laughed and shook his head.

"I sent Juice with her. It's her own damn fault thinking she can win every fight she starts. We have a boxing ring if you want to use that next time." He teased her, loving the way she laughed.

"I don't think that will be necessary. Happy said I'm not allowed to clean." She said with a laugh as she noticed her dad's eyes on them as he got a lap dance. She waved him off with a smile as she headed outside with Jax.

"Uh, why?" Jax asked as Scarlett lit a cigarette and offered him one. She let out a laugh with her smoke.

"Well, Gemma said I couldn't fuck you because I don't clean. Happy seemed to like that idea and told me not to clean then." Scarlett said, getting a laugh out of Jax as he passed her lighter back to her.

She and Jax smoked and talked until the party started dying down and she ran out of cigarettes in that pack. They headed back inside just as Happy came down the hall from the dorms right behind Deena. Scarlett bit down on the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing. Happy shook his head at Scarlett as Deena gave her a little hug before heading out to her car.

"Go get your shit, kid." Happy said as she passed him, on her way to do just that. Once she was gone, his eyes fell on Jax. He stepped up to the blonde v.p. and stared at him for a minute.

"Don't get any ideas, pretty boy. She's off limits." Happy growled. Jax couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah, Hap, I know. She doesn't clean, remember?" He wanted a trophy for breaking the killer's death stare. Happy had laughed for a brief moment before regaining composure. In that moment, Jax escaped to the safety of his dorm. Climbing into bed alone just as he had the last five days or so.

**Just a short update in honor of all the wonderful reviews I woke up to today! Unfortunately, I'm going back to work tonight so updates may be slower going forward. Thank you so much and I hope you all are recovering well from last night's episode.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Do you have any idea how early it is and how hung over I am, Megan?" Scarlett mumbled as she answered her phone. Megan laughed, ignoring her best friend's grumpiness.

"Well, I thought you might want to know that the road trip fell through." Megan said as she flung another wadded up picture of her and Heather into the trashcan.

"What? Why?" Scarlett asked, propping herself up on her elbows as Megan got her attention. The three of them had been planning that trip for over a year.

"Heather's pregnant." Megan growled as she looked for more pictures of the two of them.

"I mean, she's never been one for protection but why did that stop the trip? She can't be more than a few weeks. You can still ride in a car pregnant." Scarlett said, disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing them over the summer.

"Yeah, you can I guess. Not with the ex-girlfriend of the baby daddy though. I wish you were here Scarlett. Mom keeps saying its better that it came out before school, but why did it happen at all?" Megan asked, slamming the photo album shut.

"Meg, I'm sorry. Caleb never struck me as the cheating type. She's a fucking gash." Scarlett said, planning her lecture to Heather. Megan's laughter interrupted Scarlett's train of thought.

"A gash? What the hell is a gash, Scar?" Megan couldn't stop laughing, thankful for the change in mood.

"Well, it's a girl. They usually use it in place of the c word from what I can tell." Scarlett said, realizing that she had started picking up on the lingo.

"That's hilarious. I'm so using that. Nobody here will know what the hell it means." Megan said, jotting it down on a sticky note.

"Yeah, my mom might remember so just don't let her hear you. You're still coming to visit though right? Just use the gas money and come check out California. You'll even have a free place to stay." Scarlett said hopefully.

"Yeah, but wasn't the whole idea of the road trip freedom? I mean, sorry but you're staying with your dad." Megan said, hoping not to offend Scarlett. She was already down one friend, she really didn't want to tick the temperamental one off.

"Yeah but, Happy isn't exactly strict. He gets that I'm eighteen. He's super protective but he doesn't stand in the way of fun. I mean hell, he taught me how to ride a motorcycle, I hang out in a biker clubhouse, and I don't have to worry about pissing him off unless I'm stupid. Which I'm not. Just get off the phone, book a plane ticket, and let me know when you're coming. I'll rent a car or something and come get you from the airport." Scarlett said with a smile.

"Well, your dad isn't the ugliest person to hang around. I'll let you know when I'm coming later. I've got to go to some church meeting. You're so lucky Mariah never forced you to go to church." She said with a laugh at Scarlett's happy squeal. They said their goodbyes and Scarlett rolled over to look at the ceiling.

"I take it you're up." Happy said through the closed door. Scarlett groaned and crawled out of bed.

"Not by choice. Why are you up?" She asked. Happy smirked at the huge mess of hair all over Scarlett's head. She scowled at him and waited impatiently for an answer.

"Clay called and wanted us to come over to his place." He said with a shrug. Scarlett rolled her eyes and closed the door to get ready. Happy had clued her in about how the club worked enough to know he couldn't just refuse Clay.

She got showered and dressed quickly before braiding her hair and heading out to the kitchen. She strategically chose a plain black shirt and relaxed jeans with converses instead of anything form fitting. She knew Gemma would be feeling pissed and Scarlett didn't want to give her any more ammo.

"Coffee?" Happy asked, sitting a mug on the counter for her. Scarlett took a few sips before setting it down with a sigh.

"I can't. Let's just go get this over with." She said with frustration. Happy felt the same way, pouring his full mug down the sink a few minutes before Scarlett came into the kitchen. He nodded and headed for the door. He grabbed his kutte and Scarlett grabbed her denim jacket as the two made their way out to the bikes.

The wind rushing around her body took her mind off of what was to come for a couple minutes of the short ride. Happy parked his bike on the street in front of the Morrow house, preparing for the possibility of making a quick get away. Scarlett stopped a few feet behind him and kicked the stand down before reluctantly cutting the engine.

"I've got your back, kid. Just try to be more like your mom and less like me while were in there." Happy said seriously. He knew Mariah had a more level head than he did, despite their last conversation. Scarlett choked back a laugh as she nodded and followed Happy up to the door.

Clay opened the door before Happy ever got a chance to ring the bell. The SAMCRO president couldn't deny that the thought of bringing Scarlett into his house may not have been the brightest idea he'd had lately. Happy nodded to him and Scarlett stared at her father's back as she walked in behind him.

"Y'all can sit down." Clay said, motioning towards the furniture in the living room. Scarlett took a seat at the edge of a couch cushion while Happy stood at her side. When Clay called for Gemma, Scarlett's face went to stone, just like Happy's normally was.

The make-up Gemma had tried to cover her bruising with failed completely. Happy smiled on the inside as Gemma walked down the hall slowly. He was never one to hurt a woman, but that didn't mean his daughter couldn't defend herself. Gemma didn't say a word as she took a seat next to Clay.

"Alright, I obviously wasn't at the party, so I've only heard about what happened. I talked to Gemma and Jax, so I have a pretty good understanding of both sides. I'm not here to say who was right and who was wrong." Gemma scoffed and rolled her eyes at the comment. Clay shot her a look but continued.

"What I'm doing is putting a stop to this shit. If you two want to hate each other, have at it. What's not going to happen is another fight between a brother's daughter and my old lady. Scarlett, you steer clear of Gemma she'll steer clear of you." Clay said looking from Scarlett to Happy. Neither one of them showed a trace of emotion on their faces.

"I'm sorry you're in pain, Gemma. I hope you recover quickly." Scarlett said with a nod to Gemma and Clay before standing by Happy's side. Gemma didn't make any gesture of having heard Scarlett, but Clay gave her a small grin and nodded his head.

"I guess we'll see you two down at the clubhouse later then." Clay said before leading the way back to the front door. Happy nodded and returned Clay's brotherly hug before following Scarlett out to the Harleys.

"Follow me." Happy said simply as he climbed on his bike. Scarlett wanted to ask where they were going, but couldn't judge his mood well enough to risk it. She followed him towards the outskirts of Charming, pulling in right behind him when he stopped at a large, metal building.

"You ever shot a gun before?" Happy asked as they walked towards the glass door. Scarlett raised her brow and shook her head.

"No, is that what we're doing?" She asked, jogging to catch up with him. He simply nodded as they walked inside and up to a counter. The clerk looked up from his magazine to Happy and pointed his thumb down a long hallway to their right.

Scarlett followed happy down the long hallway and through a large, metal door. Happy stopped and took out a small baggie with foam earplugs for himself and Scarlett. She raised her eyebrows and watched Happy as he showed her how to put them in.

"Here, you can start out with this Glock. It's a 9mm so it shouldn't put you on your ass." Happy said, taking the pistol out of his shoulder holster. Scarlett took it in her hand and swallowed hard as Happy got his own Colt 1911 out of his waistband.

"First thing you gotta remember is to keep your finger out of the trigger guard unless you're going to shoot. This button releases the magazine. Go ahead and press it." Happy said as Scarlett listened intently. She did as he asked and followed all of the other lessons and tips he gave her.

After learning how to load a magazine, clear the gun, and field strip it for cleaning, Scarlett was standing in a firing lane, staring down range at a paper target. Happy showed her how to stand and how to aim while she became more and more nervous.

"Okay, I'll be right behind you. When I say go, just fire once and then put it down on the table." Happy took a step back and took a look at his daughter's stance and aim before giving her the go ahead.

Scarlett pulled the trigger and almost dropped the pistol immediately. The recoil from the explosion sent a sharp pain to the base of her thumb and down through her shoulder. Happy waited until she put the Glock down to move up and bring the target in.

"You can't be afraid of it, Scarlett. You get scared and you get hurt. Just watch." Happy said after seeing that there wasn't a trace of the bullet on the target. He moved the target down to the end of the range and brought his 1911 up. Scarlett watched as he aimed and took a deep breath before unloading ten rounds, one after another.

Scarlett sighed as she looked at the ten holes over what would be the heart of the target. Happy had made almost a perfect circle and put one right through the middle. He shrugged and switched out the target before bringing Scarlett back up to practice.

"Happy, my hand is killing me." Scarlett said after over one hundred rounds of shooting. She'd finally made it on to the target, but only a few bullets found their way anywhere close to the spot she'd aimed. Her hand was red and aching, but more than that, she was getting agitated.

"Clear it and we'll go. I'm starving." Happy said simply. His head was starting to hurt from the noise and lack of food. Scarlett did as he said quickly and thrust the pistol back at him. He raised his brow and looked down at her.

"What? I'm sick of doing something I suck at." Scarlett said with a shrug. Happy narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"You can't be great at everything. What matters is you know how to put a hole in somebody if they try to hurt you. Doesn't matter much where the hole goes if you put five or six through." Happy tried to ignore the way her attitude made him feel. The two of them had just started getting to know each other, and he didn't want to push her too far.

"Let's just go." Scarlett's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as she led the way back towards the bikes. She hated being bad at something, especially when it was in front of Happy. She'd spent her whole life trying to impress Mariah and felt like she was starting all over with her father.

She got out to the motorcycles and started hers quickly, not even waiting on Happy to come outside. As she gripped the handlebar, her hand throbbed and reminded her of how embarrassing the past hour had been. She barely heard her phone ringing over the exhaust of the Sportster.

"What?" She spat, not even bothering to look at who was calling.

"Damn, who pissed in your cereal baby?" Johnny's voice did nothing to help the sour mood Scarlett was in. She rolled her eyes and considered ending the call.

"None of your business. Why are you calling me? I thought the message was pretty clear at Caleb's party." She growled as she glanced up and saw Happy walking out of the range.

"Come on babe. I was drunk and stupid. That's why I haven't called 'til now. I went by your house to see you but your Mom's nurse said you were in Colorado or something." Johnny said.

"It's California. What nurse? You mean Margo?" Scarlett asked, suddenly paying more attention to what he said. Johnny laughed.

"No, I know what Margo looks like. This nurse was a dude anyways. He said your Mom was resting and that you were in California. Baby, why don't you come home and spend some time with me before I go to training camp?" Johnny asked, attempting to get the focus back on him.

"I gotta go." With that Scarlett ended the call and looked up at Happy. She felt her eyes start to swell with tears. Something was definitely wrong with her mom and she was on the opposite side of the country.

"What?" Happy asked, alarmed by Scarlett's sudden change from angry teenager to a little girl about to burst into tears. She shook her head and inhaled deeply. Happy scowled as she slammed her helmet on and tore out of the parking lot.

"Fuck." Happy yelled as he got on his own bike and sped to catch up with her. She was going well over the speed limit, which normally wouldn't worry Happy but she was still too green on a motorcycle. Happy was weaving in and out of traffic, barley taking his eyes off of Scarlett's denim jacket.


	12. Chapter 12

Scarlett slowed down slightly once they got into Charming's city limits. She was still upset, but knew the cops weren't fans of the Sons of Anarchy and she didn't want Happy getting pulled over. As soon as she parked the bike in Happy's driveway and cut the engine, Happy tore into her.

"What the fuck was that, Scarlett? Do you have a death wish?" Happy yelled, grabbing her elbow and dragging her through the front door before slamming it hard behind him. She grabbed fistfuls of hair on either side of her head and screamed internally.

"Damnit, you could have hit a car or laid that bike over and you would have been fucked. Last time I checked most models don't have road rash scars." Happy spat as he threw his helmet down on the coffee table.

"I'm not going to fucking model, Happy. I guess there won't be anybody left to care if I go to school soon though." Scarlett snapped at Happy until reality hit her like she'd run the Sportster into a brick wall.

"What?" Happy asked, leveling his tone out and looking at the stony expression on her face. "Don't do that shit. Don't act like everything is fine until you blow up."

"Everything is fucked up. There's no acting like it isn't anymore. I was on the phone with Johnny when you came out." She said flatly. She was standing motionless in the middle of the living room.

"So? What? This is over a fucking guy?" Happy asked. He suddenly realized why he loved torturing people; getting answers was a lot easier when you were literally pulling teeth, or worse.

"No. This is about the fact that Mariah has been lying to me. She apparently has a nurse at home. No wonder Megan had to take her fucking groceries. I doubt it's a fucking cold and shit doesn't get this bad this fast. Her cancer was never gone, was it?" Scarlett wasn't looking for an answer; in fact, she'd forgotten Happy was even there.

"I think you should call your mom." Happy wrapped his arms around Scarlett and rested his chin on her head. He felt her shake her head slowly.

"No. She lied to me. I'm obviously not important enough to know the truth. Don't tell her I know." Scarlett said, pulling back a little and looking him in the eye. He clenched his jaw tightly, causing the vein in his temple to pulse.

"Happy. I'm serious. Don't tell her. She's all about not telling people shit anyways." Scarlett said firmly. Happy sighed and let her go with a nod.

"What are you doing?" Happy asked as Scarlett grabbed his helmet off the table. She shrugged as she handed it to him.

"I thought you were hungry." She said as she pulled her jacket back on and waited for Happy as he shook his head and opened the door for her. He started to realize that all the shit his Ma used to say about kids being payback for how the parents acted was true. Scarlett's ability to shut emotions down and act like nothing bothered her was him in a nut shell, and it was annoying him to no end.

They ended up going to Hanna's Diner and eating in mostly silence. Happy wasn't one to start conversations and Scarlett was in no mood to talk. As they headed out of the diner, Happy decided he was tired of seeing his daughter so unhappy.

"What would make you happy right now?" Happy asked as he followed her to his bike. He had refused to let her ride the Sportster. He didn't want to relive the chase from earlier for at least a couple days.

"For Mariah to have told me the truth." Scarlett said honestly as she strapped on her helmet. Happy ran his hand over his scalp and shook his head.

"I can't do that for you, kid. How about something to distract you? Doesn't even have to make you happy tomorrow. Just hate seeing you like this." He said, hoping she wouldn't make him beg.

"Whiskey and weed." Scarlett said with a little laugh. Happy nodded and climbed on the bike. She raised her brow but climbed on behind him.

"That, I can actually do." He said, starting the engine and putting the kick stand up. Scarlett had only been kidding, but apparently Happy was set on her not being upset because five minutes later he was parking the bike at the clubhouse.

She climbed off and followed him inside. Happy saw Jax walking out of chapel and motioned him over. He gave Scarlett a little push towards Jax.

"Get her high or drunk. Whatever she wants but touch her and I'll kill you." Happy ordered before turning to the bar himself. At that moment, he realized he was a really shitty parent. Making Scarlett hurt even just a little bit less was his number one goal and if that made him a horrible father, he didn't really care.

"What's going on, Scarlett?" Jax hadn't asked or really said anything as they headed up to the roof with a couple joints and a bottle of Jack Daniels. He knew something was off as soon as she and the killer walked through the door, but neither one of them seemed all that talkative.

"Mariah's sick and she lied about it." Scarlett said with a shrug before taking a long drag from a cigarette. Jax narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to remember if Scarlett had ever mentioned that name before.

"My mother." Scarlett supplied as she passed the unlit joints to him and took a drink straight from the bottle. Jax nodded slowly and looked down at the joints without bothering to light either. He knew if he was going to get her off the roof in one piece, one of them would have to be some what sober.

"You going back home?" Jax asked. Scarlett shook her head. "Why not?"

"Last time I checked, the cure for cancer isn't hidden in the clubhouse. Besides, even if it was and I could help, she'd probably lie and say she wasn't eat up with it." Scarlett scoffed before blowing out more smoke.

"Scarlett, she's still family." Jax said. Scarlett shook her head and sighed.

"Could we not talk about it? Talk about anything else besides parents and lies." Scarlett asked quietly. Jax realized, like Happy, Scarlett wasn't going to talk when she didn't want to.

"Juice was looking for you earlier." Jax said. He had been working in the garage when the prospect had come up and made up some excuse about needing to talk to Scarlett. Something about Juice looking for her hadn't set right with him, even though he knew he couldn't be with her either.

"Really? He seems sweet. He doesn't really strike me as a Son though." Scarlett said, losing what little filter she normally had to the alcohol. Jax set his jaw and shrugged. Scarlett laughed for the first time since that morning.

"Awww, Jax. Don't tell me you're jealous that I said he's sweet." She teased as she offered him the cigarette. He shook his head and took the whiskey from her instead.

"You're the one that stopped it that night." Scarlett said before flicking the rest of the cigarette into a bucket that was almost full of cigarette butts.

"Yeah because you were high. If I remember you said something about not wanting to want to or some shit like that when we talked about it." Jax pointed out as Scarlett looked him in the eye.

He couldn't help but notice how her arm brushed his as she moved around a little. Her braided hair had obviously been in and out of a helmet all day, but something about the mess had him wanting to mess it up even more.

"I'm not high now. I might be a little buzzed but I'm not even drunk. What's the excuse now?" Scarlett said, tracing her fingers over the tattoo on his right forearm.

"Maybe the fact that you're the Tacoma Killer's daughter and I don't think he's above killing me." Jax said with a laugh, as her fingertips on his arm made him want to touch her everywhere.

"Yeah, the last time I checked he isn't here." Scarlett said with a smirk as she pulled her hand away from him. She could see the battles raging behind Jax's eyes. Scarlett realized that the only way he would touch her is if she made the first move.

"If you stop me, I promise I won't try or let you try again." Scarlett whispered into Jax's ear before nipping it lightly. Jax turned to say something to buy him more time to think, but Scarlett took the opportunity to kiss him. The feel of her lips on his again made it impossible to think about the killer sitting at the bar downstairs.

Jax pulled her over to his lap so her knees were on either side of his waist and her ass was on his propped up thighs. She ran her hands down from his shoulder to lace each of her hands into his as Jax slid his tongue into her mouth slowly.

The mix of whiskey and Scarlett tasted sweet as he started craving more, but he refused to push her any further. If she wanted more, she would have to make it happen. Jax admitted that he'd usually take the reigns from most girls by now, but Scarlett wasn't most girls.

She let go of his hands and reached to take her shirt off as he watched her intently. She smiled and sat the shirt down beside them as Jax ran a hand over the cotton of her bra to the mound of breast at the top slowly.

The feel of his warm skin sent a shiver down her spine that grew stronger as his mouth traced kisses from her neck to just above the fabric covering the rest of her chest. She bit her bottom lip as she felt him harden beneath her.

"You can take it off, Jax." Scarlett said lowly before a small moan escaped her lips. Jax smirked at the sound and ran a hand around her waist and up her back to pop the clasps open. When she tossed the bra aside, Jax groaned with delight as he took one perfect, round breast in his hand, happy it couldn't exactly hold all of it.

Scarlett shook her head, knowing he was too distracted to take his own shirt off without her help. As he replaced his hand with his mouth, Scarlett pushed his kutte down his arms. She was about to take his shirt off when he swirled his tongue around her hardened nipple and bit down lightly.

Jax smiled as Scarlett moaned again, rocking her hips toward him a little. He flicked his tongue once more before pulling back and taking his shirt and undershirt off quickly. Scarlett couldn't help but wonder if they all layered shirts like that, but knew mentioning it could remind Jax of her father.

Jax ran his hands down Scarlett's sides and over her hips as she traced her fingers down from his chest to just above his boxers. He was already hard, but that made him want to move on from foreplay.

"Scarlett?" Jax breathed heavily as she started working on undoing his belt.

"Jax." She responded as he ran his thumbs just under her waistband.

"Have you? Are you a virgin?" Jax asked, hoping he wasn't about to deflower a girl on the roof. She narrowed her eyes at him, making him concerned. "I mean, I can take it easy if you want."

"Jax, I'm not a virgin. You can take it easy if you want but I'll be honest when I say I won't like it as much. I like it pretty rough. If you need me to take it easy I will." Scarlett said honestly. It was as if she'd taken down a stop sign.

Jax picked her up from his lap and laid her back down on his kutte, slightly aware that the roof wasn't exactly soft or clean. Scarlett unbuttoned her jeans as Jax pulled his own jeans and boxers down and toed his shoes off.

Scarlett bit her bottom lip as she tried to hide her pleased smile. She hadn't exactly been with a ton of guys before, but out of all of them, Jax was definitely the most well endowed and muscular. He pulled her boots off and helped her with her jeans, catching her smile.

"See something you like?" Jax growled into her ear after rolling on a condom and moving over her. She nodded and pulled his mouth down to hers as he entered her slowly, fully aware that there was no going back then.


	13. Chapter 13

Jax and Scarlett came down the ladder just as Happy was walking out of the clubhouse. Jax watched as she smiled over at her dad like nothing had happened.

"You think you can hold on long enough to make it home?" Happy asked as he simply nodded at Jax. Scarlett shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I think I can make it without falling off too many times." She said with a laugh as she followed him over to his Dyna. He hoped she wasn't kidding, but was glad to see her in a better mood.

Jax didn't linger as Scarlett climbed on the back of Happy's bike. No matter how cool she acted, he still didn't want to risk getting his ass kicked that night. Instead, he headed inside the safety of the clubhouse.

"Jacky Boy! I was startin ta wonder if ya forgot how to get off tha damn roof. What happened?" Chibs asked, motioning towards Jax's arm. He looked down and noticed that Scarlett's nails had left some red, raised scratches that showed a little when his sleeves rode up.

"Uh, scratched it on the ladder. I'll see you in the morning." Jax said as he abandoned the idea of getting a beer. The last thing he needed was another brother knowing about he and Scarlett before they got a chance to talk and he talked to Happy, if it came to that.

Jax pushed the door shut and locked it behind him before shrugging his kutte off and pulling his shirt off. He ran his thumb over the four scratch marks on his arm and the fading teeth marks on his collarbone with a smirk. He hadn't believed her at first, but she seriously did like it a little rough. Not that he was complaining over that or anything else about Scarlett.

"Scarlett, you up?" Happy asked as he knocked on the closed door. She opened the door quickly, fully dressed in tight, tan riding pants and tall brown boots. As much as he didn't like the pants, her green shirt covered her chest more than anything else he had seen her wear, so he wasn't going to complain.

"Is she here?" Scarlett asked, smiling up at Happy. She was on cloud nine after last night. She was able to compartmentalize all the shit going on with her mom and focus on other things. Things like teaching Chibs' daughter how to ride and how she was still a little sore from her time with Jax on the roof.

"No, you're meeting her at the clubhouse. Chibs doesn't want her riding with you so you can take a loaner car from the garage. Run is just a day trip so you can wait with her at the clubhouse until he gets back." Happy said as he headed into the kitchen to wash his empty coffee mug.

"I need a leather jacket." Scarlett said as she jumped up on the kitchen counter. Happy rinsed the mug off and looked over at her quizzically.

"You sure it won't cramp your country style?" Happy asked with a laugh as he nodded his head. Scarlett shot him an angry look before shrugging.

"I don't know. The more time I spend here the more I want to trade in cowboy boots for riding boots." Scarlett said with a shrug as she smacked her hand with the end of her riding crop.

"Is the whip really necessary?" Happy said, imagining the stupid comments Tig would make if he saw it. Scarlett nodded and hopped down from the counter as they made their way out of the house.

"Can I ride the Sportster yet? I promise I won't speed off." Scarlett pleaded as she looked at the bike. Happy sighed and gave her a shrug.

"Fine, just give me the saddlebags. I got shit I need to carry today." He said, giving in to Scarlett since she was in such a good mood. She unfastened the bag and tossed it over to her dad before climbing on and starting the engine.

"Ay, lass. Wanted ta thank ya for this again. She's really lookin' forward to it." Chibs said as he pulled Scarlett in for a hug as soon as she got off her Sportster. She nodded and gave him a squeeze back.

"Before you know it she'll be asking for a horse so don't thank me yet." Scarlett laughed as she pulled the crop out of her boot. She didn't have anywhere else to put it on the ride over and it was far from comfortable rubbing against her leg.

"Please tell me I'm in trouble, darlin." Tig called, eyeing the riding whip in her hand. Scarlett rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm with it as she followed Chibs inside to meet Kerrianne.

"I knew you'd say something stupid." Happy said as he walked up and slugged Tig in the arm. He knew Tig had done his best to keep it PG, so Happy let him keep his balls in place for the time being.

"You got a cat?" Happy asked Jax as he borrowed a zippo lighter and lit a cigarette. Jax almost didn't catch the zippo being tossed back to him.

"What? Oh, yeah, no. I just scratched it last night coming down the ladder." Jax said quickly. He figured the lie worked on Chibs, so hopefully Happy would buy it to. Happy narrowed his eyes suspiciously but decided it was somewhat possible Jax was telling the truth.

"Da' didn't tell me you were so pretty, Scarlett! I feel like I'm getting riding lessons from a model." Kerrianne said as she followed Scarlett out of the clubhouse with a happy bounce in her step. Scarlett smiled bashfully and shook her head.

"I'm not the one with the awesome curls girl. Hap, you have the keys to the loaner?" Scarlett asked as she stopped next to Happy.

"Uh, no. Jax, go get the keys and show her which car it is." Happy said as he turned his attention to the croweater walking up to him. Scarlett rolled her eyes and jogged to catch up with Jax as Kerrianne told Chibs to be careful.

"Those pants are killing me, darlin'." Jax said once they were in the office. Scarlett laughed and ran the riding crop over one of his pant legs teasingly. Jax fumbled with the keys as he hardened instantly.

"Sorry. You're going on a run so the only thing I'm riding today is a horse." Scarlett said with a wink as they headed to a red Ford truck. She couldn't deny how much she wanted to relive last night's activities on the roof, but she also knew it was dangerous to sneak around behind her dad's back.

"You two have fun." Jax said as he gave Kerrianne a one armed hug and headed back to his bike, hoping nobody noticed how he couldn't take his eyes off Scarlett.

"So, how long 'ave ya been with Jax?" Kerrianne asked as she hopped up in the passenger seat. Scarlett snapped her head around and raised her brow. Kerrianne laughed and shook her head.

"I may be young and foreign but I'm still a girl. His eyes weren't leavin' ya until we pulled outta that lot." She explained to a blushing Scarlett. Scarlett bit her bottom lip and glanced away from the road to look at Kerrianne.

"Hopefully it's a girl thing. My dad would kill me if he found out right now. We just, uh, made out last night." Scarlett said, hoping to preserve Chibs' daughter's innocence.

"Nah, ya shagged. Man doesn't look at ya like tha unless ya shagged." Kerrianne said, shocking Scarlett once again.

"Yeah, okay we shagged if you want to call it that. No more boy talk. Today is all about horses. Have you ever ridden at all?" Scarlett asked, desperate to change the subject so she could stop the yearning she had for Jax. Kerrianne laughed again but gave Scarlett a break.

"Once or twice. I worked in a stable once but ma was too scared I'd get hurt ta let me ride." Kerrianne said with a furrowed brow. Her mother stopped her from doing a lot of things out of fear.

Scarlett and Kerrianne met up with Oswald's stable hand and mounted their horses eagerly. Scarlett was happy she'd planned ahead and brought her riding gear just in case. She could ride in jeans, but it wasn't as comfortable.

Kerrianne was a quick study and followed all of Scarlett's tips with ease. They spent about an hour in the ring before taking a trail ride after clearing it with the stable master. They chatted about fathers and Ireland as they rode at a leisurely pace. On the way back, Kerrianne's horse, Bingo, stopped suddenly and refused to move.

"Here, hold my reigns. I'm going to try and lead him until he gets moving again. He's probably just honorary." Scarlett said, hopping down from her own horse. She took Bingo's bridle in her hand and tried coaxing the Thoroughbred down the trail. He moved forward a couple steps and finally started walking on his own again.

"You can drop Tanka's reigns." Scarlett said with a smile up to a nervous Kerrianne as she walked back towards the horse she'd been riding. She reached for the hanging reigns when she froze. Coiled by Tanka's front hooves was a large snake. Scarlett knew it wasn't anything more than a black snake, but horses hated snakes, no matter what kind they were.

"Tanka, why can't you be trained better? Back up." Scarlett said, pulling back on the reigns. She'd been able to remount the horse, but she knew she couldn't just walk him over the snake. Tanka shook his head out of frustration with the bit and caught must have caught sight of the snake.

In an instant, the horse reared back and Scarlett did her best to hang on. The saddle was slick and she was losing grip of the frightened horse's mane as he slammed to the ground before standing back up again. Scarlett slid over the ass of the horse and landed hard on the ground.

Kerrianne screamed as she watched Scarlett's horse buck and land a powerful hoof on Scarlett's chest. She jumped down from her own horse and ran to Scarlett as Tanka took off running towards the stable.

"Scarlett! Oh my gosh are you okay? Say something!" Kerrianne said as she slid to her knees. Scarlett groaned and opened her eyes slowly.

"Ow." She mumbled as she struggled to take a deep breath. Her chest felt like a train had hit her instead of a horse. She stood up slowly and coughed, sending another wave of pain through her.

"You think you can go get the stable hand? I don't really want to walk and I can't climb up on your horse." Scarlett said, deciding to sit back down to her knees. Kerrianne swallowed hard as she nodded slowly.

Scarlett waited until Kerrianne was out of sight to cry. She'd been thrown before. She'd also been kicked before, but never in the chest. It was lucky that her head hadn't been just a few inches lower. About a half hour later, she heard what sounded like an atv speeding down the trail.

She smiled and gave a little wave to Kerrianne and the stable hand who pulled up on a yard tractor. It was similar to an atv, but it had a bed similar to a truck on the back. Paul, the ranch hand, helped her to the back of the tractor and drove as smoothly as he could back to the stable.

Scarlett refused to go to the hospital or stay at the stable. She assured the staff she was fine and would rest at home. Kerrianne stayed silent as Scarlett promised Paul she wouldn't drive.

"Scarlett, I'm really sorry, but I don't know how to drive yet." Kerrianne said with a frown. She knew Scarlett must have been in terrible pain, but she'd never been behind the wheel of a car before. Scarlett tried to turn her painful grimace into a smile as she nodded.

"It's fine. I taught my best friend how to drive. We aren't going to be backing up so all you have to do is keep it between the lines. We drive on the right side of the road, just to remind you." Scarlett said with a laugh before explaining how to drive with one foot.

Kerrianne took a deep breath and started the truck. She managed to drive it back to TM, all though Scarlett felt it may have been better if she drove. Kerrianne was nervous and obviously new. Anytime there was a turn, she would smack the break pedal and send she and Scarlett lunging forward as the truck slowed quickly.

"I can't believe I drove!" Kerrianne squealed as she turned the truck off and hopped out of the cab. It'd taken her almost ten minutes to park terribly crooked, but she was proud nonetheless.

"Great job, Kerrianne." Scarlett growled as the young girl helped her out of the truck slowly. A couple of croweaters rushed over from the patio and asked what happened. Kerrianne filled them in as she and Deena half carried Scarlett inside.

"I'm just going to lay down on the couch. I'll be fine." Scarlett said as she finally made it to the leather couch. It hurt terribly to breathe, let alone talk. Deena nodded and hurried to get a pillow and blanket as Kerrianne called Chibs, much to Scarlett's dismay.


	14. Chapter 14

Happy was carefully rearranging the dynamite in his saddle bags when he noticed a manila envelope in the right one he was starting to fill. He pulled the envelope and sat it on his leather seat until he was done evening out the sticks of dynamite. They had stopped at a pull off in a deserted stretch of I-5, and still had a few minutes before they were set to head out.

He pulled off his gloves and opened the envelope as he listened to some stupid story Tig was telling about a stripper in Reno. He looked down at the pictures and scowled more and more as he flipped through them. The first one was of Scarlett laughing and dancing, but once she started posing on the bike, his temple started pulsing.

"Everything okay, bro?" Tig asked as everyone got silent and watched Happy get angrier and angrier. He slowly looked up and Tig had the answer he needed.

"Hap, what's up?" Jax asked as he flicked his cigarette away and walked up behind Happy. His throat tightened as he saw the pictures in Happy's hands.

"Hap, brotha don't go crazy but we need ta get back." Chibs said quickly as he snapped his phone shut. Happy slowly turned and looked at Chibs with a wild look in his eyes.

"What?" Happy growled, trying to resist the urge to snap. He had a pretty good idea of who took the pictures. He also assumed the ladder to the clubhouse roof wasn't sharp enough to scratch somebody.

"That was Kerrianne. She said Scarlett got kicked pretty bad when they went riding. They're back at tha clubhouse but she don't think Scarlett's tellin' her how bad it really is." Chibs said quickly as he mounted his own Harley.

At the sound of Scarlett's name and kicked, Happy completely forgot about his urge to ring Jax's neck. He shoved the pictures back in the envelope tossed them at Tig without thinking. He didn't have room for them in his bags and was focused solely on getting back to the clubhouse.

Tig, being the nosy person he was, peeked at the contents of the envelope as he watched Chibs and Happy speed down the road. Clay still hadn't given the go ahead for the rest of them to leave, so he had a minute to flip through the pictures. His eyes widened as he realized why Happy didn't look so happy at all. Scarlett was damn hot in the pictures, and somebody had to have taken them. He looked up at Jax, who was scowling at him.

"Oh, brother, you're headed to the ring with that killer soon. I'm glad it's you and not me." Tig said with a laugh as he smacked a hand over Jax's sleeve and pushed it up to his shoulder. Jax shoved him off and grabbed the envelope from him.

"I know damn well none of the croweaters scratch. You're dead. I'm jealous. Well, I am until he kills ya." Tig said with a laugh. Clay walked back to the group and gave the go ahead to head out, oblivious to what was going on. Jax was anxious to get back and see how Scarlett was, but couldn't leave the club short on the way back.

"Where the fuck is she?" Scarlett heard Happy yell after throwing the clubhouse door open.

"She's on the couch. She was sleeping." Juice said quickly as Happy hurried over to where he pointed.

"Baby, are you okay? What the hell happened?" Happy said, grabbing Scarlett's hand and brushing her hair out of her face with his other hand. Scarlett shook her head and swallowed with some difficulty.

"I'm fine, Happy. The horse got spooked and I got thrown and kicked. I'm fine. Just hurts, a lot." Scarlett said hoarsely as she laid a hand over her chest gingerly. Happy scowled at her and shook his head.

"Take it off." He growled. He could tell by the dullness in Scarlett's eyes that she wasn't as fine as she said.

"What? No." Scarlett said, startled by his demand. She looked around at Juice and Chibs who were standing nearby.

"You wore a fucking bandana as a shirt, Scarlett. Take it off or I'll cut it off. Juice, go away." He ordered as he noticed he was staring at Scarlett. Happy didn't care if Chibs stayed. Being a father of a girl as well, he knew Chibs respected Scarlett.

"Jesus Christ." Scarlett grumbled as she unbuttoned her top slowly. She couldn't raise up to see it herself, but judging by Happy's face, it didn't look good.

"Shit, Scarlett. You've got a purple footprint on your chest." Happy said, swallowing down bile. He'd tortured people and handled plenty of dead bodies, but seeing his daughter hurt made him sick.

"Hoof. It's not a footprint it's a hoofprint." Scarlett corrected Happy weakly. Happy narrowed his eyes at her as he motioned Chibs over. Kerrianne followed her father and bit down on her lip as she saw the deep purple bruising on Scarlett's sternum.

"You think she needs to go to St. Thomas?" Happy asked Chibs quietly. Chibs knelt down and looked closely at the bruising. He slowly raised his hand and pressed down on her stomach above and below the bruise. Scarlett winced, but Chibs decided internal bleeding wasn't likely and there weren't and fractures.

"Ya got ta take it easy for a couple days, Lass. I wouldn't suggest ya ride anything until it starts lookin better. Hap, she should probably stay here. Even riding in tha van would hurt like hell." Chibs said, giving Scarlett a quick squeeze on her hand.

"Aye, I about killed her driving over here. Bumps looked pretty painful." Kerrianne said, agreeing with her father. Chibs looked over at her and she shrugged with a laugh.

"I got my first driving lesson today. I ride horses a lot better than I drive." Kerrianne said with a laugh. Scarlett laughed, painfully, and nodded in agreement.

Happy wanted to ask her about the pictures, but he figured it would have to wait a day or so. He sat on the couch across from Scarlett as she fell back to sleep. He'd planned on moving her to his dorm, but they had to wait on a croweater to finish washing the sheets first.

"Juice, come here." Happy motioned him over, hoping not to wake Scarlett. Juice looked nervous, but hurried over and crouched down by the couch.

"What's up, Hap? Juice was whispering so he wouldn't be the one blamed for waking the girl sleeping on the couch.

"I need you to track down somebody in Harley Davidson's marketing or advertising. I don't want some receptionist, I need somebody with some power." Happy said, formulating a plan in his head. Juice nodded with a smile.

"This about getting Scarlett a contract? You can send them one of those pictures Jax took." Juice said excitedly. Happy's expression darkened as he turned his eyes on Juice.

"Shut up. Just get somebody's email or phone number or something." Happy said, kicking his boots up on the coffee table and folding his arms across his chest. Juice nodded and hurried over to the computers he had set up in the corner.

The rest of the club finally got back to and came through the door loudly. Tig and Bobby were arguing about something stupid and Clay was laughing with somebody on the phone. Jax was the only one that walked in silently, heading straight over to Happy.

"She doing okay?" Jax asked, looking down at the still sleeping Scarlett. Happy narrowed his eyes and stood up. He grabbed Jax by the back of his kutte and drug him into the chapel, flinging the door closed behind them.

"She'll be fine. What part of off limits did you not understand?" Happy growled, gripping the back of his normal seat at the table. Jax positioned himself across the table in hopes of staying a little safer.

"Happy, I tried. She's a great person and I'm really into her. We both tried to stop it, but it just happened. She was going to talk to you about it." Jax said quickly. He hoped if he talked fast enough, he'd get his side out before Happy killed him.

"She's eighteen. She's my fucking kid, Teller." Happy slammed the chair forward as he looked at Jax.

"I know, Hap. I'm not going to hurt her." Jax said, holding back the comment he wanted to make about Scarlett being the one who made the first move last night. Something told him Happy wouldn't take that the right way.

"Bullet or ring." Happy growled. Jax's eyes widened as he realized those were his only choices. Neither one was going to feel good.

"Ring." Jax said with a sigh. At least in the ring he had a chance to defend himself. Happy nodded and headed outside. Jax was a little shock Happy had meant right then, but figured it was best to go ahead and get it over with.

"Ay, what's with those two?" Chibs asked, nodding towards Jax who was slowly following Happy outside. Tig shook his head with a laugh.

"Looks like Happy chose to beat the kid to death instead of shoot him." Tig said with a laugh as he stood up from the bar. As one sided as he felt the fight would be, he still wasn't going to miss it.

"Jesus Christ, what did I miss?" Chibs growled, hurrying to follow Tig. Kerrianne swallowed hard and looked over towards the couch where Scarlett was sleeping. She knew Scarlett liked Jax and probably didn't want her dad to kill him yet.

"Scarlett," Kerrianne said, shaking her shoulder a little. Scarlett groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She was alarmed to see Kerrianne's urgent expression.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting up with extreme difficulty. Kerrianne bit her bottom lip and hoped Scarlett didn't lash out at the messenger.

"You're da and you're man are about to fight. I though ya might want ta know before it's too late." Kerrianne said as Scarlett pushed herself off the couch. She nodded and leaned on the curly headed girl as they made their way outside as quickly as Scarlett could manage.

Happy was nice enough to take off his rings before climbing up in the ring. He cracked his knuckles as he waited for Jax to get his shirt off and climb in the ring. The only thing he could see was his blonde brother that had pissed him off; everything else was black.

Jax took a deep breath as he entered the ring on the opposite end from Happy. He had never been stupid enough to fight the killer before, unlike Tig who routinely tried to prove himself in the ring. Jax's eyes fell on Happy's neck tattoo about family and swallowed hard.

As soon as Jax was standing upright in the ring, Happy moved forward. Jax kept his arms up, knowing blocking was the only way he was going to keep from looking like the prospect they'd excommunicated. Happy swung wide and connected his fist with the side of Jax's head. Jax moved quickly and was able to land a couple blows on Happy's stomach before missing a block and getting his lip busted open.

Scarlett made it out of the door as Happy slugged Jax in the jaw again. Jax stumbled back a step before faking a right swing and catching Happy's chin with a left hook. Happy smiled darkly and spat before striking out again.

"Stop them." Scarlett said to Tig as she gripped her stomach. Tig turned to look at her and shook his head.

"Sorry, doll. Jax knew what he was getting into. Your dad made it clear you were off limits." Tig said with an apologetic smile. His smile faded as he watched Scarlett's eyes darken.

"Damnit. I don't know why I even bother." Scarlett groaned as she moved closer to the ring. She tried to get Happy's attention, but he was too focused on blocking a swing from Jax. She slammed the bottom of her clenched fist on the floor of the ring.

Kerrianne hurried over as she realized Scarlett was actually forcing herself into the ring. Not only was that like getting in a cage with two fighting lions, climbing wasn't exactly helping her chest. By the time she was able to break through the crowd that had gathered, Scarlett was already in the ring.

"Stop it. Both of you stop it." She yelled as she shoved Jax away and stepped in front of Happy. Happy was already swinging at Jax, only to find Scarlett in front of him instead. Scarlett scowled and ducked quickly. She felt the air moving from his punch, but was able to dodge it.

"Damnit Scarlett! I could have hit you." Happy said as he took a step back and narrowed his eyes. The hardheaded tendencies of his daughter almost cost her a black eye, at least.

"I said stop." Scarlett said with a cough. She pulled her arm away from her mouth and frowned as she started feeling dizzy. Happy's face relaxed as he hurried forward to steady her.


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm fine, leave me alone." Scarlett growled, trying to push Happy away. He shook his head and sighed as she stumbled. As mad as she was, her lack of balance worried her enough to stop trying to fight against Happy.

"Scarlett, sit down." Happy said once she was at the edge of the ring. She did as he said silently. He eased her down before hopping out of the ring. Jax held up the bottom rope so Happy could pull her out. He looked at Jax and nodded a curt thanks before half carrying Scarlett back inside to the couch.

"Why did you have to fight, Happy? Why couldn't you just let me be happy?" Scarlett asked, giggling a little at the double use of the word happy. Her father looked down at her and ran a hand over his head.

"You okay kid? It wasn't that funny." Happy said, completely ignoring her questions. She stopped laughing and shook her head before rolling on to her side and throwing up on the clubhouse floor.

"Kerrianne, did she hit her head when she got kicked?" Chibs asked as he watched Scarlett retch into the trashcan a croweater brought her. Kerrianne squinted as she tried to remember.

"It happened really fast. She was coming to when I got to her so I guess she likely did. Is she going to be okay, Da?" Kerrianne swallowed hard and couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. Chibs squeezed her shoulder a little and went over to Happy.

"Brotha, I think ya might want ta take her to St. Thomas. It looks like she's got a concussion." Chibs said as Happy nodded. He looked up at Jax and narrowed his eyes.

"You think you like her enough to help?" Happy growled as he stood. Jax tried to hide his resentment for the question as he nodded.

"Carry her out to the van. Carefully." Happy ordered as he grabbed the van keys from Clay and headed out to bring the van up to the door.

"Hey, Jaxson. What are you doing here?" Scarlett asked with a worried smile. "What happened to your lip?"

Jax grimaced at her lack of memory and gingerly pulled her into his arms. He realized how light she was for the first time as he carried her to the van. Happy helped him lay her on a couple blankets before getting in the driver's seat.

"Hap, she's got blood around her mouth." Jax said quietly as he stroked Scarlett's hair out of her face. She smiled up at him before her eyes started to close. Jax shook his head and kissed her nose.

"No sleeping, Scarlett. You gotta stay awake." He said soothingly. Happy glanced back at his brother and his daughter. Had he not been so concerned, he may have felt a little bad for kicking Jax's ass. It was obvious to Happy that Jax cared about her.

"Okie dokie, Jacky boy." She mumbled with a giggle. Jax shook his head with a forced smile as he brushed her hair out of her face. Happy pulled up to the emergency room doors and got out, taking Scarlett in his arms and leaving Jax to park the van.

"Hey, she needs a doctor." Happy growled at the nurse at the desk. She took a look at Scarlett's limp form and nodded, paging someone quickly. A nurse came over and led Happy to an empty bed he could put Scarlett down on.

"What happened?" The nurse asked as she started taking Scarlett's vitals. Happy crushed the toothpick in between his teeth as he watched Scarlett slip in and out of reality.

"She got kicked by a horse. Friend's kid that was with her said she may have hit her head. She was fine for a while. She took a nap when she got back and then a little more of one after I checked on her."

"What relation are you to her?" Another nurse asked as she typed information into a laptop.

"She's my daughter. Scarlett." Happy said as he held her left hand while a nurse started an IV in the right.

"Date of birth?" Happy felt guilty for not knowing. He swallowed hard and sighed.

"She's eighteen. She gonna be okay?" Happy asked, avoiding the nurse's judgmental frown. He looked over when Jax walked up. The nurse narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry, family only until she gets up to a room." The nurse spat at Jax as she started hooking Scarlett up to wires and monitors. Happy shook his head and looked at his brother.

"He stays." Happy said simply. The nurse was obviously annoyed, but couldn't bring herself to take an angry, biker dad on.

"Did you call her mom?" Jax asked as he and Happy sat in Scarlett's room. The doctors had assured them that she'd be okay, but wanted to get a scan to make sure she didn't have any internal bleeding. The blood she'd coughed up ended up being from irritation after throwing up. Jax was relieved but Happy was on edge, even more so since they wouldn't let him go with Scarlett to get a CT.

"No." Happy growled as he stared at the empty space in the room where Scarlett's bed had been.

"She probably needs to know." Jax said hesitantly. He knew Happy wasn't in the mood to talk, so making suggestions was risking getting hit again.

"Does she? You just reminded me she'd be fine. Nothing to tell Mariah." Happy said, turning his cold eyes on Jax. He had no plans to call Mariah unless he had to. He also knew Scarlett would be pissed if he called.

"She's your kid. I was just thinking how pissed Gemma would be." Jax said with a little laugh. Happy shook his head and sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Mariah's no Gemma. She's my kid. What exactly is she to you?" Happy asked, looking at his brother expectantly.

"Damn, Hap. I like her. A lot. I wouldn't have wasted getting my ass kicked if I didn't care about her. I'm not going to hurt her." Jax said in complete honesty. Happy nodded and the two fell into silence as they waited for Scarlett.

"Dad?" Scarlett reached out for Happy as she was rolled back into her hospital room. She'd woken up during the CT and panicked when she couldn't remember coming to the hospital in the first place.

"Hey babe. You have a good nap?" Happy asked with a smile as he took her hand and stood by the bed. The doctor gave them all a quick run down.

Luckily, Scarlett avoiding sustaining any serious injuries. She was dehydrated and had a mild concussion, but after some fluids and rest, she'd be ready to leave. Scarlett was given strict orders to drink plenty of water and stay away from salty foods for a few days, to which she groaned but agreed. She knew Happy would be on her about it every chance he could.

"Are you two done fighting?" Scarlett asked a few minutes after the doctor left. She could only imagine what the staff was thinking with her injuries, Jax's busted lip and swollen cheek, and Happy's bruised jaw.

"For now. I'm not happy about it, but I know you are. Don't get pregnant." Happy growled as he looked between his daughter and Jax. Scarlett smiled broadly, realizing Happy was kind of giving them the okay.

"Is this a bad time to tell you that my best friend is coming into town in a couple days?" Scarlett asked, hoping not to kill Happy with everything she was piling on him. He narrowed his eyes at Scarlett and groaned.

"Two females in my house. It's gonna be like living with Ma and that damn aunt of mine all over again. Whatever." He said, knowing there was no point in arguing. He didn't really mind and he just wanted Scarlett happy. He could not care about a lot of stuff if it made her smile.

**I know you all have been waiting so patiently for updates. I'm really sorry. I've been working crazy hours and over time and have very little free time. With that being said, I am starting to run into road blocks on this story. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated and may work in to the story down the road :) Thank YOU all **

BY THE WAY::::: I'VE GOT A NEW STORY I'M WORKING ON THAT HAS HAPPY AS A MAIN CHARACTER. I'M NOT SURE WHEN I'LL POST IT BUT FOLLOW ME AND GIVE IT A TEST RUN WHEN IT'S UP :)


	16. Chapter 16

It had been a week since Scarlett's accident and things were going surprisingly well. She'd only had to referee a couple arguments between her dad and Jax, who was pretty much her boyfriend at this point. Happy tried to explain that girlfriends didn't really hold much weight in an MC unless they were old ladies, but Scarlett wasn't ready to commit like that. Happy wasn't complaining.

"Megan!" Scarlett screamed as she ran down the tiled hallway of the airport and threw her arms around Megan. The two hugged fiercely for a few minutes before finally moving out of the way of everyone else trying to make their way to baggage claim.

"Scarlett! I can't tell you how happy I am to be here! It feels like ages since I've seen your face!" Megan said as she looped her arm through Scarlett's and followed her to get her suitcase. She couldn't help notice that Scarlett seemed happier than she had been in Georgia.

Megan had grown up with Scarlett, from diapers to prom dresses. Scarlett had always been privileged and cared for, but Megan knew she wasn't completely happy. When she wasn't pretending to be what people expected of her, she was fighting or helping her friends with their lives instead of focusing on her own.

"Jesus, Megan! You're staying for two weeks not a year." Scarlett said with a laugh as she slung Megan's second large duffle over her shoulder. Megan blushed and shrugged as she carried her carry on and a duffle out of the airport behind Scarlett.

"Glad to see we're not trying to fit all this on a bike." Megan said with a laugh as she tossed her bag in the back of the jeep Scarlett had rented. With a sigh of relief, Megan shut the passenger door and clicked her seatbelt into place.

"I talked Happy into letting me rent a Jeep again. It was actually easier to do that than convince him I didn't need a fucking escort." Scarlett said with a shake of her head as she backed out of the parking spot. Megan raised her brow in question.

"I thought you said he wasn't super controlling? I know you got hurt but an escort?" Megan asked. Scarlett took a deep breath and thought for a minute before speaking. She couldn't exactly explain that tensions were mounting with the Mayans. She didn't even know enough to begin to explain it to someone outside of the club.

"Yeah, he just got a little protective after that. I'm excited for you to meet everyone!" Scarlett said, changing the subject as naturally as she could. Megan didn't seem to notice as her face lit up.

"That makes two of us! Are we going to the garage or your place first?" Megan asked nervously as she looked at her face in the mirror. The plane ride did nothing for her features and she hoped to look better when she met everyone. Scarlett nudged her with an elbow and laughed.

"You look great, so stop. We're going home first. Happy and most everyone had to go on a run to Oakland this morning. Lucky for you, it's Friday so you'll get to experience the club in full swing tonight." Scarlett said, excited to have her best friend by her side again. She chewed on her bottom lip a little, wondering when the best time for a more serious conversation would be.

"Is it going to be okay if I drink? I mean, we're the youngest ones there and. Nevermind." Megan said as she noticed the look Scarlett was giving her. She was well aware that her father gave Scarlett a lot of leeway, but it was still foreign to have adults accept underage drinking.

The rest of the ride to Charming was spent talking about the different club members, Gemma, Charming, and life in general. Megan filled Scarlett in on Heather and Caleb getting engaged as Scarlett turned the engine off in the driveway.

"Just another thing I don't miss about Georgia. If they don't love each other, they shouldn't get married. Kid or not." Scarlett said with an eye roll as she hopped out of the Jeep and pulled one of Megan's huge bags out. Megan tried to process Scarlett's words. As she did, she realized just how much Scarlett had really changed in the last few weeks.

"This place is spotless! You sure you live here?" Megan asked with a laugh as Scarlett kicked the door open with her boot. She nodded and proved her point after opening the door to her room. Just as Megan had expected, it looked like an outlet store on black Friday with a bed in the middle. There were clothes thrown everywhere.

"Oh my god, this is adorable!" Megan squealed as she picked up a strip of photo booth pictures. Scarlett and Jax had gone to the fair the previous week and had made silly faces for the camera before making out until Happy busted them. She also had a strip of pictures of she and Kerrianne on the other side of her dresser.

"Yeah, he can be sweet when he wants to be." Scarlett said with a laugh as she made an attempt to organize her room a little. As she tossed clothes into separate piles, depending on their cleanliness, she looked at Megan. Seeing her best friend made her realize how different she'd become since coming out to California.

She had started incorporating dark jeans and a leather jacket into most of her outfits. The cowboy boots were still around, but the black ones were worn more often than not. In addition, she realized she was more relaxed. She was comfortable in her new surroundings, so much so it started to feel like home.

"Girl, I'm taking a shower." Megan announced, breaking into Scarlett's thoughts. She looked up in surprise and nodded with a smile, abandoning the futile cleaning efforts. Her phone started ringing a couple minutes after the water started running.

"Hello?" Scarlett asked politely. She didn't recognize the phone number, but knowing her father and her boyfriend, it could easily been a new burner.

"Yes hello, is this Scarlett Jensen?" A woman's voice asked happily on the other end. Scarlett headed into the kitchen for a water and nodded her head curiously.

"Yes, it is." She said with an even tone. She'd been around the club long enough to know better than to offer up much information about herself.

"Wonderful! My name is Margo Thorne. I'm the recruiting manager here at Harley Davidson. I received a copy of your portfolio, and I have to tell you, we are very interested. The quality of the photos may be lacking a little, but we certainly see talent shining through." Scarlett struggled to keep up with Margo as her head started to spin. She had no idea what was going on.

"I'm sorry Ms. Thorne, my portfolio?" Scarlett searched her mind frantically as she tried to put the pieces together. Margo laughed.

"Well, I understand it isn't quite a portfolio. Nonetheless, I would love to have you come out and have a meet and greet. We are planning a new advertising campaign and I would love to have you be part of it, if your schedule allowed it." Margo was upbeat and sounded hopeful. Scarlett was processing.

"Oh, right. Where would that be and when?" She heard herself asking Margo. Her eyes were wide as she stood frozen, staring into the open fridge.

"Wonderful! We actually have an office in San Francisco, so it wouldn't be terribly far. Would you be able to come out next Wednesday around three o'clock?" Scarlett had no set plans or schedule, so she decided to at least make an excuse to go to San Francisco.

"Sure, that sounds great. Would you mind emailing me the details?" She asked, knowing far too well that her shock would cause her to forget any directions or addresses.

"Of course! I'll have my assistant send that right out. We have all of your information, so just make sure to give me a call if you need anything. I'll see you soon, Scarlett." Margo said happily before ending the call.

Scarlett looked up as she heard keys jingling in the front door. She'd been so concerned with the call, she hadn't even heard Happy's bike pull up to the house. She was about to ask him what part, if any, he'd had in that call.

"Fuck!" Megan yelped as she froze in place. She'd come out in a towel to ask Scarlett where the hairdryer was, thinking no one would be home. Now, she found herself wrapped in a thin towel in front of Happy.

Happy's eyes were wide as he stared at the naked girl dripping water onto his hardwood floor. She was at least four inches shorter than Scarlett, but what she didn't have in height, she certainly made up for in boobs and ass. Water was running down her caramel brown hair and down her tan skin. It took a minute for Happy to realize what was going on.

Instead of taking a shower and a nap in his house like he'd planned, Happy turned on his heel. Without a word to Scarlett or the naked girl in his living room, he walked out of the house and over to his bike quickly. This obviously wasn't like living with his Ma at all.

"Hap, thought you were going home?" Tig asked as he looked up from the leather couch in the clubhouse. Happy ran his hand over the snake on his skull and shook his head slowly.

"Fucking naked chick in my living room." Happy managed to choke out before grabbing a random croweater and dragging her back to his dorm. Tig raised his brow and looked over at Chibs in shock.

"Never heard that before." He said with a laugh before throwing back a shot of Jameson and slapping Tig on the back. "Tha two of ya are ridiculous." Kerrianne said with a shake of her head as she tried to line up her pool shot. Juice laughed in agreement as he tried to help her. He made a point not to touch her and just pointed at where she should aim.

Scarlett was still laughing as Megan finished drying her hair. Megan had prolonged the comedy by asking if that had really happened and if Happy was single. Scarlett had to admit, it was the funniest thing she'd seen in a long time. Megan, on the other hand, was completely embarrassed.

"No offense, Meg, but Happy's seen his fair share of naked girls. The towel probably threw him off." Scarlett teased as Megan scowled at her. She was actually quoting Jax's response to the text she'd sent him, but it was true.

"I need a new phone. Your dad wasn't nearly that hot in your pictures! Seriously though, not how I planned on meeting him." Megan said with red cheeks as she pulled a tank-top over her head. Scarlett shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't think you can call that meeting him. It was more like you scaring him out of his own house." Scarlett said with a wink before dodging the hairbrush Megan hurled at her.

"Do I look okay?" Megan asked as she did a slow turn for Scarlett after they both finished getting ready. She was wearing a white, lace tank with tight jeans and brown cowboy boots. As usual, her hair was in big loose curls down her back and her eyes were smoky. Scarlett nodded as she tossed her denim jacket to her.

"You'll need that for the ride." Scarlett said with a wink as she pulled her leather jacket on. She was wearing dark skinny jeans, black leather thigh high boots, and a fringed, black tank. Megan's eyes opened wide as she caught a helmet Scarlett tossed to her from the coat closet.

"You realize I've never ridden anything that didn't have four wheels or four legs, right?" Megan said nervously as she mimicked Scarlett by wrapping a bandana around her hair to keep it somewhat decent.

"All you've got to do is hold on and not jerk around." Scarlett said with a shrug as she sat down on her bike. Megan still didn't seem too sure, but Scarlett started the engine anyways.

**Thought you all may need a happy chapter to help cope with the series finale. I'll be honest, I'm still processing! On the bright side, we still have fanfics! Happy reading and long live SAMCRO**


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey babe, I was wondering if you were coming or not." Jax said with a grin as he pulled Scarlett into him and kissed her hello. Scarlett wrapped her arm around his waist and turned back to Megan.

"Well, someone needed a twenty minute promise that I wouldn't kill her on the way over here. Jax, I'd like you to meet my best friend Megan. Megan, this is Jax." Scarlett said with a smile as Jax inclined his head with a bright smile. Megan gave him an awkward half wave.

"I'm going to go make introductions and show her around, okay babe?" Scarlett looked up at Jax who nodded and smacked her butt playfully as she walked away.

"So, this is the clubhouse. The dorms are back there and the chapel is through the double leather doors. Don't go in there. You want something to drink? You're super nervous right now." Scarlett spoke quickly as they walked into the clubhouse and she pointed out the main areas to Megan. The whole time she spoke, Megan fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and looked around nervously.

"Yeah, vodka cranberry? I feel like this is some crazy dream. Am I really in a fucking motorcycle gang's clubhouse?" Megan said with a laugh as Deena started pouring her drink. Scarlett was about to correct her, but Tig beat her to it.

"Motorcycle club, sweetheart. You must be the naked girl. Can't say I woulda run out of the house." He said with dancing blue eyes. Scarlett shook her head and rolled her eyes, but Megan blushed deeply.

"Megan, that's Tig. He's pretty much my weird uncle. You know, the one everyone avoids at the family reunion?" Scarlett said with a laugh as Tig put on a big frown and clutched at his chest.

"That hurt, Scar. Everyone avoids Hap, not me. I'm the fun uncle." Tig laughed as he gave Scarlett a quick peck on the side of her head before winking at Megan. Scarlett turned to look at her best friend and noticed Deena was already pouring a second double.

"Meg, relax. They're all just big kids in leather. Come on, I'll introduce you to Juice. He's a lot closer to our age and he's a sweetheart." Scarlett wrapped her arm around Megan's shoulders and steered her over to the pool table where Juice and Chibs were finishing a game. Kerrianne was seated on a high stool and smiled as they walked up.

"Ay, girly. It's about time ya get here. We need ta play doubles and beat me da so his head deflates a little." Kerrianne said with a laugh as Chibs smirked and shook his head before sinking the eight ball and beating Juice.

"Juice, Chibs, Kerrianne, this is my friend Megan. She's visiting from Georgia. Get off that damn stool and we'll put the Scott in his place." Scarlett said with a wink as she grabbed a pool cue from the hanger on the wall. Megan took Kerrianne's place on the stool as she nursed her liquor.

"So, ya had ta put up with this one since ya were little?" Chibs asked Megan as Juice racked the balls. Megan laughed and nodded.

"I should get a medal. How many times did I have to sneak you back in your house or cover for you, Scarlett?" Megan was feeling more relaxed as the vodka mixed with her blood. Scarlett smiled before lining up the shot to break.

"A couple." She said with a shrug. Everyone around the table laughed and she narrowed her eyes before smirking and nodding in agreement.

"Remember the time you ran from the cops after breaking out all the dogs at the pound?" Megan asked with a laugh as Deena brought her a water and another round. Scarlett rolled her eyes and huffed as Juice sank a trick shot.

"Running from the cops, huh?" Happy's voice growled from behind Megan. He took a beer from Deena and sat on the stool next to the brunette. Megan blushed deeply, causing Scarlett to shake her head.

"They were going to be put down. I just gave them another chance at life. The cops showed up, so I hightailed it out of there. Luckily, my Jeep can go off road and their cars can't." Scarlett explained, earning a surprised yet proud look from Happy.

"What's the snake for?" Megan blurted out as Happy took Scarlett's place and started a new round of pool with Jax. Juice raised his brow from his spot leaning against the couch and looked over at Happy.

"I like it." Happy said, offering no further explanation. Jax smirked and shot Scarlett a look before looking the table over for his next shot. At that moment, Scarlett knew she'd be babysitting her best friend.

Megan had never really been a big drinker and the croweaters didn't mix lightly. As the night went on, Scarlett kept her eye on Megan whenever Jax wasn't distracting her. By two in the morning, Scarlett made the decision that Megan was in no shape to get on the back of a bike. So instead, they crashed in a spare dorm.

"God, I feel like I fell off the back of your motorcycle." Megan groaned as she rolled over and faced Scarlett. Her head was pounding and what little light was coming in from the only window in the room burned her eyes. She tried desperately to remember how she'd gotten into the strange room last night.

"Nope, just the back of the couch." Scarlett said with a yawn as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes. She stifled a laugh as Megan's face came into focus. Her hair was all over the place and her eyes looked like a raccoon's.

"What? How bad was I last night?" Megan asked nervously as she peeled strands of hair away from her face and closed her eyes to shield them from the light. Scarlett laughed and sighed.

"Well, you spent a good amount of time flirting with my dad and Juice. You told Jax he was hot but wasn't nearly tan enough. At some point, you took a joint from Tig and started smoking it as you tried to convince Bobby that he should braid his beard. Shortly after that you passed out and fell off the back of the couch." Scarlett said, summarizing the previous night for Megan.

"Oh my god, Scarlett! I didn't hook up with anybody did I?" The question had been roaming in the front of her mind since she started waking up. The first time she'd ever gotten drunk, she'd ended up loosing her virginity to some guy after Homecoming.

"Not for lack of trying." Scarlett growled as she tossed the covers off and crawled out of bed. She stretched her arms high above her head, satisfied with the crackling noise from her spine.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how you've been living like this for the past couple of weeks." Megan said with an embarrassed laugh. Scarlett turned around to look at her and raised a brow.

"I haven't been blacking out and trying to hook up with guys twice my age, Meg." Scarlett said, trying her best to keep her tone light. She assumed Megan hadn't meant anything by her comment, but it still hit a nerve.

"Scar, I'm sorry. I guess I'm not the partying type." Megan said softly as she climbed out of bed and made her way into the small bathroom. Scarlett took the couple minutes of solitude to collect her thoughts.

She knew there was no reason to get defensive, least of all with Megan. If she was to be honest with herself, her on edge attitude came from the two calls she'd ignored from her mother the previous night. She knew it was wrong to keep Mariah away, especially now, but she wasn't ready to talk just yet.

"Are you going to get that?" Jax asked between sips of coffee. Happy looked down at his phone that had been ringing for the past five minutes and furrowed his brow.

"What?" He asked sharply as he sat his mug down firmly on the bar. It was way too early in the morning to deal with this shit.

"Is Scarlett there? I've tried calling her several times and she doesn't answer." Mariah said frantically. She was thankful to finally get in touch with one of them. With a silent sigh of relief, she lay back on her pillows and glanced over at the monitors, hoping her pulse would steady.

"She's asleep, I think." Happy said just before Scarlett rounded the corner from the dorms. They made eye contact and she shook her head, refusing to take the call. Happy rolled his eyes but nodded before taking a much needed gulp of coffee.

"I'm sorry, Happy." Mariah did her best to keep the sound of her tears out of her voice.

"For what, Mariah?" Happy was growing tired of the conversation already. He rolled his eyes as he watched Megan blush passing by him to sit on the other side of Jax and Scarlett.

"I should have told you Scarlett didn't know. I just wanted her to be happy for as long as possible." Mariah said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to focus on the documents in her lap.

"Sure. You need something? I've gotta get going." Happy grumbled as he motioned Deena over to refill his coffee.

"No, just ask her to call me, please." With that, Mariah ended the call and started to reread the final copy of her will. She'd requested it be drafted a couple days ago, realizing she didn't have time to push it off any longer. Her tears began to fall as she signed it with a shaky hand.

"Please make sure everything is in the safe, Mr. Turner. Deeds, certificates, everything needs to be in one place." Mariah's voice cracked as she thought about not being there to show Scarlett to the things she would need. Mariah's attorney nodded and patted her softly on the shoulder before making his silent exit.

"Kid, you need to call your mom so she stops blowing up my phone." Happy growled past Jax. Scarlett leaned back in her seat and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Get a new number. I'll call her this afternoon." Scarlett said with a sigh in response to the threatening scowl from her father. She was dreading the phone call.

"Dad, is there any reason I couldn't go to San Francisco Wednesday?" Scarlett asked quickly. Jax turned his head and looked at her with a raised brow. Happy scratched at the back of his neck and rolled his head back a little.

"Take the prospect with you. We've got a run or I'd take you. What's in San Francisco?" He asked curiously. Scarlett hitched a shoulder and smirked.

"Hills, a bridge, and stuff. Jax, are you ready?" She asked, changing the subject and standing up from the bar. Megan followed suit, wondering what was going on. Jax glanced over at Happy quickly before nodding and standing up.

"Be careful." Happy called after Scarlett as she led Megan and Jax out. He had a strong feeling she was up to something, but knew better than to think she'd let him in on it before she was ready.

"Where are we going?" Megan asked as she climbed in the backseat of Jax's truck. Her head was still killing her, so she was overjoyed to get in a vehicle instead of on a bike.

"Courthouse." Scarlett said as she propped her boots up on Jax's dashboard. Megan watched as he rested his hand on her thigh and smiled as he glanced at her every so often. It made her feel a little empty, remembering the last time she'd rode in the truck with Caleb.

"Wait, are you two getting married? Scarlett, your dad is super scary and I don't want to be a murder witness at eighteen." Megan said as a thought clicked in her head. Scarlett turned around and looked at the panicked expression in Megan's eyes.

"Breathe, chica. We aren't getting married. I'm changing my last name." She said with a bright smile as Megan's eyes widened further. Jax swallowed hard as he parked the truck in front of the courthouse. Scarlett had planned everything out, even going as far as making sure this was the court's one operating Saturday of the month.

Jax stayed in the truck as Megan and Scarlett headed inside. As he watched her leave, he couldn't help think about Megan's question. At one time, he'd been ready to marry his high school sweetheart, Tara, but that hadn't ended well. He and Scarlett were still getting to know each other, but he already felt the pain of missing Tara lessen day by day. He realized that Scarlett was the first woman he'd been with that he hadn't thought of Tara during sex.

Scarlett skipped out of the courthouse with an envelope and a big grin. Megan was still grossly hung over, but Scarlett's mood was contagious. She happily followed Scarlett back to the truck, thrilled to see her best friend so delighted.

"So?" Jax asked as Scarlett hopped up in the passenger seat and beamed at him. She held the envelope up.

"It takes some processing time, but you are officially in the presence of a Lowman." She said with a proud laugh. Jax couldn't help but laugh as well.

"I have no idea if I'm scared or turned on." He said, completely ignoring Megan sitting in the back seat. Scarlett smacked the envelope on his chest, but laughed as she buckled in and Jax backed the truck out.

"Megan, you want to check out my new laptop?" Juice asked as she, Scarlett and Jax walked back into the clubhouse. He knew Megan had been drunk last night, but he was into her all the same.

"Sure!" Megan said, still infected by the happiness Scarlett had spread. She was a closet nerd and loved anything electronic. Juice wasn't hard on the eyes either.

Jax kissed Scarlett briefly before heading out to the garage to get some work done and give her some time with Happy. She took a deep breath and started to feel her high subside to worry. The envelope in her hand felt like it weighed a hundred pounds as she considered Happy's reaction. She suddenly regretted not thinking before acting.

"You seen my dad?" Scarlett asked Kerrianne. She nodded and pointed back towards the dorm as she tried to swallow some muffin.

"Deena came out a while ago so ya should be safe." She said with a laugh. Scarlett forced a half grin as she nodded and headed down the hall slowly. She paused and knocked on the door to Happy's room slowly.

"Hey, everything okay?" Happy asked as he looked at Scarlett's paling face. She bit down on her bottom lip and walked into the room. Happy closed the door and watched with concern as his daughter paced the room.

"I should have asked you. I think I can stop it if you want me to." She all but whispered as she passed the envelope over to him. He raised his brow as he took it and held it in front of him.

"Sweetheart, calm down. Just tell me what you did." Happy prodded. He wanted to hear whatever it was from her, not read it and risk misinterpreting anything and hurting her feelings.

Scarlett stopped in the middle of her pacing and took a deep breath before turning to face her father. She rolled her shoulders back and stood up as straight as she could.

"I changed my last name to yours." She said with every bit of confidence and strength she could muster. Happy stared at her with a blank expression for what felt like an hour to both of them. As the seconds ticked by, Scarlett's confidence waned.

"I should have asked you. I'm sorry. I can stop it." She started apologizing but Happy shook his head.

"Not unless you regret it. Scarlett, that really means a lot to me." Happy's voice cracked a little as his daughter slammed herself into his chest and hugged him tightly. He smiled brightly and kissed the top of her head. His chest was tight with emotion as he fought to keep a handle on it.

"I thought you might be mad." Scarlett said with a little laugh as she pulled back from him. He scoffed and shook his head.

"Scarlett, you're my kid. Why would I be mad if you decided to claim my last name? Kind of makes me feel like an actual dad." He said as a couple tears escaped from the corner of his eyes. Scarlett beamed up at him and let out a sigh of relief.

**Please review :) thank you to every reader, follower, ****favoriter, and reviewer! **


	18. Chapter 18

"So, let me get this straight. You let them treat you like crap so you can be a part of their gang one day?" Megan asked Juice as they sat on one of the plaid couches. He had been trying to explain what prospecting meant.

"It's a MC, not a gang. When you're a prospect, you've got to prove yourself. That way, when your up for your top rocker, you've earned it and the guys know they can trust you." Juice explained, realizing all the shit he'd been through recently would be worth it soon.

"If you say so. I thought we were heading out?" Megan said, glancing down at her watch. She and Scarlett had come over to the clubhouse to meet Juice and for her to say goodbye to Jax and Happy before they hit the road for San Francisco. That was over an hour ago.

"They have a special way of saying goodbye." Juice said with a laugh. Megan looked away and blushed, remembering how she'd made out with Juice on Saturday. She'd stopped it before any clothes went flying, but she couldn't help thinking Juice seemed offended.

"You kids ready?" Scarlett asked brightly as she half walked half bounced down the hallway under Jax's arm. She'd woken Happy up just long enough to let him know she was leaving and then moved on to see Jax.

"Waiting on you, slut." Megan said with a smile. Scarlett waved her comment off and turned to give Jax one last kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close before reluctantly letting her go.

"Juice, anything happens to them and you're dead." Happy said as he walked into the room. Juice swallowed hard and nodded silently.

"Dad, we're going to San Francisco, not some war zone." Scarlett laughed and gave him a light punch in the arm once he scowled at her. Jax had already voiced his concerns as they had gotten redressed, and she was growing tired of the two men in her life overreacting.

Scarlett, Megan and Juice piled into the Jeep that Happy had decided to go ahead and lease for the summer. Scarlett insisted on driving, putting an unhappy Juice in the backseat and Megan riding shotgun. She could feel the tension in the car as soon as they closed the doors.

"So, why are we really going to San Fran?" Juice asked as he leaned back and propped his elbow on the window. Scarlett looked back at him through the rearview mirror and gnawed on her bottom lip a little.

She had convinced Happy and Jax that it was just a sight seeing trip, but knew Juice would find out the truth sooner or later. Scarlett merged onto the interstate and tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel as she accelerated.

"I have a meeting with a lady about a modeling job." Scarlett finally said. Megan looked over at her and raised her brow. Everyone but Scarlett had been in the dark about the trip until just now.

"Seriously? With who? Please tell me this isn't some sketchy online ad." Megan said with a laugh, turning in her seat to look at Scarlett.

"I'm not stupid." Scarlett said with a scowl as she accelerated out of frustration. Juice was leaning forward and looking between the two girls.

"Harley Davidson called you didn't they?" He asked knowingly. Scarlett's expression softened as she turned to look at him.

"Was it Jax or Happy?" She asked, glad to have a chance of getting to the bottom of the situation. Juice took a deep breath as he realized he'd already said to much. He feared Happy's reaction, but considering Scarlett was going to the meeting, maybe he wouldn't lash out too much.

"Your dad had me get some contact info for their advertising execs. He'll be glad you're looking into it at least." Juice said with a bright smile before leaning back in his seat. Megan laughed and shook her head.

"I mean, that's great Scarlett. It's just a meeting though, plus we've got classes starting in a few weeks." She was surprised Scarlett was actually getting her hopes up. Normally, Scarlett was the level headed one of their circle of friends.

"Actually, I'm planning on withdrawing if this goes well. I may withdraw anyways." Scarlett after driving several miles in silence. She had planned on having this conversation some other time and some other way, but it didn't work out that way.

The Jeep fell into silence as they continued down the interstate towards the big city. Scarlett couldn't tell if Megan was upset or just surprised. She decided to just turn the radio up and concentrate on driving instead of talking.

At half past two, Scarlett pulled the Jeep into a parking garage the gps had led her to. She started feeling nervous and wishing Jax had come with them instead of Juice.

"You look great, don't worry about it." Juice said reassuringly. He hopped out of the Jeep and opened Scarlett's door for her. She blushed and gave him a small nod. Megan walked around the back of the car and waited for Juice to stop fawning over Scarlett.

She loved Scarlett like a sister, but she couldn't help feel jealous sometimes. When they were younger, everyone commented on how smart and talented Scarlett was. As they got older, the attention turned to her looks. Megan wasn't self conscious, but being around Scarlett felt like standing in the shadows sometimes.

"Well, I guess we should find the office." Scarlett said after taking a deep breath. She could tell the smile Megan flashed at her was forced, so she felt bad about dragging her along. To make matters worse, it seemed she was really into Juice and he was too focused on his assigned duty to really pay her much attention.

"Hi, I have an appointment with Margo Thorne at three." Scarlett said with a smile to the receptionist. The little brunette looked from her to Juice and Megan and nodded before directing them to a waiting area. Juice played a game on his cell phone as Megan and Scarlett exchanged sideways glances.

"Scarlett?" A tall, blonde woman in dark jeans and a white blouse walked over towards Scarlett with a bright smile.

"Yes, hi! You must be Ms. Thorne." Scarlett stood quickly and shook the woman's hand. The woman nodded and seemed to smile even more.

"Please, call me Margo. I appreciate you making the trip up here. Why don't we head into my office and chat?" She asked, motioning down a short hall. Scarlett grabbed her leather bag and followed Margo.

"Scarlett, please have a seat. I have to say, we usually don't bring in potential talent without a manager. That being said, I'm so glad you are here. I feel like we may have gotten lucky when you fell into our lap." Margo said as she sat down in a plush, white office chair behind a massive steel and glass desk.

"Do you have any previous modeling experience?" Margo asked with a smile as she flipped through the photos of Scarlett.

"Not professionally. I modeled for my school's photography club and some personal shoots. Other than that, I did some pageants when I was a little girl. I'm sorry, I'm rambling." Scarlett said with a nervous laugh. Margo smiled and shook her head.

"Not at all, Scarlett. Look, I'm really excited about you. You've got a look that's all your own. Before we talk business, why don't we head down to one of our studios? I've set up a little shoot so we can get some professional shots of you for your file." Margo rose from the desk and opened the office door. Scarlett's jaw dropped as she hurried to follow the long legged blonde that was leading her to a professional photo shoot.

"Why don't you like Scarlett modeling?" Juice asked after tossing an issue of Newsweek on the table in front of them. Megan looked up from her issue of Vogue and raised her brow.

"I don't not like it. I just think she's getting her hopes up. Scarlett always thought realistically before she came out here." Megan said with a sigh. She didn't want to admit that she was somewhat jealous.

"That's what happens when you live life with less regard for society's bullshit rules. Scarlett may not be a Son, but she's obviously one of us." Juice said with a laugh as he thought back to her most recent fight with Gemma. Megan's eyes rolled as she shook her head.

"What happens when she comes home and has to get back to reality? She has a way of finding trouble, this is just going to make it worse." Megan said with a sigh as she went back to flipping through magazine pages.

"I wouldn't bet on her going back." Juice mumbled before picking up a Harley Davidson catalogue and making a mental dream sheet of parts and accessories.

"You ready?" Juice heard Scarlett's voice coming from a few feet away and looked up. His mouth went dry at the sight of her auburn hair cascading down her back in polished curls and the way she seemed to walk a little taller. Megan was equally surprised as she stood up.

Scarlett didn't say a word from the time they left the office to the time she closed the driver's door. She could feel two sets of eyes on her as she started the engine and started backing out of the parking spot. She wasn't ready to talk yet. There was a lot on her mind and she just wanted some silence and time to process.

"I thought we were going to see the sights." Megan said hesitantly as Scarlett pulled onto the interstate headed out of the city. She sighed and leaned back in her seat after a few minutes of Scarlett ignoring her comment. She had a feeling the meeting hadn't gone so well. As sorry as she was to see Scarlett let down, she was just as happy to have her roommate coming to college after all.

"Son of a bitch." Scarlett muttered as blue lights lit up behind her. Juice glanced up in the mirror and shifted uncomfortably as Scarlett slowed the Jeep and pulled over to the edge of the road. She kept her hands on the steering wheel until the officer tapped on the window with a knuckle.

"Ma'am, do you realize how fast you were going?" The officer asked as Scarlett rolled the window down. She swallowed hard and nodded with a bashful look.

"I'm so sorry, officer. I didn't even realize until you got behind me. It's been a long day." She purred, mixing in a bit of truth with her lie. The cop's face softened a little as he nodded and looked her over.

"Let me just check out your license and papers and we'll go from there." The officer took the requested forms from Scarlett and headed back to his car. Juice snorted a laugh.

"Flirting to get out of a ticket, Scarlett?" He continued to stifle a laugh as Scarlett scowled at him through the rearview mirror. The officer returned to the window a couple minutes later with a scowl.

"Miss, I need you and your passengers to step out of the vehicle." The cop said sternly. Scarlett's brow shot up in surprise, but went to unbuckle slowly. From her experience with law enforcement in Georgia, she had a feeling this was no longer a routine traffic stop.

"What's going on?" Megan asked the officer as she joined the stone faced Juice and Scarlett in front of the squad car. The cop raised a brow at Megan.

"What are you three doing this far out of Charming?" He growled, handing Scarlett her papers back. She took them and shoved them in her back pocket.

"Sight seeing in San Francisco. Look, give me a speeding ticket if you want to, but I've got to get home." Scarlett said without any of her previous charm. The cop didn't seem to believe her.

"How do you know the Sons of Anarchy?" The cop asked, ignoring Scarlett's previous statement. Juice tensed, realizing this had turned to the club. Neither he nor Scarlett responded. Megan eyed them with frustration and shook her head.

"He's a prospect and Happy's her." Megan started to explain their association with SAMCRO before she noticed the glare Scarlett was shooting her. The cop raised his brow again and moved to stand closer to Megan.

"You've got the right idea, miss. What was that about Happy Lowman?" The cop smiled at Megan warmly. Scarlett shook her head and took a step forward.

"We still have rights. You've got no reason to pull us out of the car just because I was speeding. Give me a ticket and we're getting back to Charming." Scarlett growled through her gritted teeth. Juice couldn't miss the resemblance between she and Happy when they were mad.

"Yeah, okay. Here's my card, in case you want to talk some more, sweetheart." He passed a business card over to Megan before pulling out his citation book and filling out a ticket.

"Sign here." The cop grunted, shoving the book over at Scarlett. She looked over the ticket carefully before signing. Juice stood close by, not trusting the cop to be on the up and up.

Megan climbed back in the Jeep and took a deep breath as the police officer got back in his car. Juice and Scarlett waited until he'd pulled off before getting in. Scarlett slammed the door and scowled at Megan as she started the engine.

"Don't give me that look. He could have arrested us." Megan said defensively. Scarlett hadn't moved the Jeep since starting it. Her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the steering wheel.

"He didn't have anything to arrest us for. I get that you were scared, but you don't talk about the club, especially to the police." Scarlett shook her head at Megan's equally aggravated expression.

"They ride Harleys and party, what's there to talk about. It's not like it's some secret society, Scarlett. If there's anything to hide, I don't want to be a part of it anyways." She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Scarlett didn't respond. Instead, she headed back to TM in a darker mood than she'd expected. She realized Megan wasn't intentionally trying to piss her off, but she'd done a fine job of it all the same.

"Are the guys back yet?" Scarlett asked out of the blue. Juice looked up from his phone and nodded before replying to Happy's message. As soon as they'd gotten back in the Jeep, he'd filled Happy in on the run in with the police. He wasn't happy, at all.

Scarlett accelerated again, anxious to get back to Charming and out of the suffocating cabin of the Jeep. She caught Megan shaking her head out of the corner of her eye.

"Cute, get a speeding ticket and then start speeding again. You're a real hard ass." Megan spat as she stared out at the road ahead. Scarlett braked hard and shook her head as she turned off the interstate.

"I'll pay to change your ticket, but it'd probably be better if you headed back to Georgia tomorrow." Scarlett said evenly as she unbuckled and got out of the Jeep. She wasn't surprised to see Happy and Jax waiting in the parking lot.

"Seriously? Scarlett, I came out here to see you. I wasn't going to say anything besides the fact that Happy is your dad. What's the problem?" Megan said with pain in her voice. Scarlett sighed and shook her head.

"Megan, I love you but I can't risk you messing up again. I told you before you came out here. If it's not me or the club, you don't talk about the club. I'm sorry; it's not something that you get three strikes on." Scarlett walked into Jax's arms and let out a shaky breath. She hated sending Megan away, but it was for her own safety as much as the clubs.

Happy had been prepared to take control of the situation, but quickly realized Scarlett was already on top of it. Her new look didn't go unnoticed, even if it was over shadowed by the police encounter. Happy ran his palm over his scalp and caught a glimpse of Gemma looking on from the garage office.


	19. Chapter 19

Jax finally found Scarlett sitting on top of the roof of the clubhouse. She'd stayed at the clubhouse while Juice and Happy took Megan to get her stuff packed. She'd decided to catch a redeye and took a cab to the airport, despite Scarlett's offer to drive her.

"You okay, darlin?" Jax pulled his sunglasses over his eyes to block out some of the light from the rising sun. Scarlett blew out a trail of smoke and offered Jax the joint as she shook her head. Jax took a quick hit before passing it back to her and sitting down.

"Haven't slept. I don't know what to do, Jax. Megan is my best friend and I just sent her away. The problem is, I don't feel as bad as I think I should. The minute she opened her mouth to that cop, I realized where my loyalties really lie." Scarlett said with a sigh as she snuffed the joint out on a roof tile. Jax wrapped his arm around her shoulders and sat in silence.

He knew exactly where she was coming from, but figured it would be even harder since she didn't grow up with the club. Raised under the reaper or not, Scarlett was proving to be true family more and more. Even Gemma seemed to be respecting her a little more.

"What was in San Francisco, Scar?" Jax looked over at her with a raised brow. She smirked and shook her head, looking down at her boots.

"I should probably talk to my dad about that first. He'd be pissed if you knew first. It's nothing bad though." Scarlett skirted around the question, hoping Jax wouldn't be upset. He took a deep breath but nodded with a smile.

"What do you have planned for today?" Jax asked as he rubbed small circles over Scarlett's lower back. She turned to him and smiled broadly.

"Nothing. What did you have planned?" She asked, knowing he'd questioned her plans to offer up some of his own. Jax laughed and kissed her cheek softly.

"Just thought we could go catch a movie and have dinner like a real couple." He said with a flirty smile. Scarlett nodded and leaned closer to him.

"Sounds fun. Did your run go okay?" She chanced asking him, even though he didn't usually answer such questions.

"Hell no. If it wasn't for your dad, half our asses would be shot up or in a hole somewhere. Don't repeat that." Jax warned her after giving her too much information. Scarlett nodded as questions ran through her head. She knew Happy was some type of enforcer, but it was hard to imagine exactly what that meant in an MC.

"I'm going to go talk to my dad. Let me know when you want to head out." Scarlett kissed Jax deeply before pulling away with flushed cheeks. He smirked and smacked her ass before heading down the ladder ahead of her.

"Are you covered?" Scarlett called through the dorm door. She had watched he and Juice return late last night, so she knew he'd stayed there instead of at home. She heard footsteps crossing the room before Happy swung the door open and greeted her with a grunt.

"I need to talk to you about something important." Scarlett decided easing into the subject would benefit them both. Happy looked over at her and folded his arms across his chest.

"Are you pregnant?" He growled as he thought about the ass kicking Jax would get. Scarlett laughed and shook her head.

"God no. I like Jax too much to get him killed." She said with a wink as Happy smirked and sat down backwards in his chair.

"I went to San Francisco for a meeting at Harley Davidson. Juice already told me you sent my pictures to them so don't act dumb." She said with a laugh as Happy tried to look surprised. His face relaxed into his normal blank stare as he nodded.

"So, what'd they say?" He asked as his palms started sweating a little. Scarlett took a deep breath and started fiddling with the ends of her hair.

"We took some shots for my file. I have the contract in my bag. I haven't signed it yet, but they want me to be one of their models." Scarlett's voice was even as she thought about the words she was saying aloud. She knew that if she took the offer, it would mean she was really following her own path.

"They'd be stupid not to want you, kid. I'm really proud of you." Happy said as he stood up and crossed the room to wrap his daughter in a big hug. As selfish as he knew it was, he was happy this meant she would probably live a lot closer than Georgia.

"Thanks, Dad. Do you know a lawyer who can look the contract over? I got lost when the articles started having subsections." She said with a laugh as Happy nodded.

"Yeah babe. I'll call her. Speaking of calling. You should call Mariah. You don't have to tell her if you don't want to. Just call her back before she calls me again." Happy narrowed his eyes at Scarlett and kissed her forehead as she nodded with a sigh. She dug the contract out of her purse and handed it to Happy before he headed out of the room so she could call Mariah.

Happy sat down on a barstool and dialed Lohen's number as a croweater poured him some coffee. The conversation was quick and it was set up for her to pick up the contract that afternoon. Happy finished his coffee and half of one of Bobby's famous muffins when he started feeling uneasy.

As soon as he opened the door to his dorm, he regretted eating anything at all. Scarlett was curled up in a ball on the floor of his bathroom, shuddering with sobs. Her pain made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Scarlett, baby, look at me. What's wrong?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. She shook her head and continued to sob without answering him. From her reaction, he didn't need her to answer anymore.

Happy sat in the floor of his bathroom holding his daughter for over an hour. She didn't speak or look at him as he held her close to his chest. Every so often, her shuddering would pause as she caught her breath before continuing until finally, she fell silent and looked up at Happy.

"I need to go to Georgia." She said flatly. Happy looked into her eyes through her mascara stains and took a deep breath.

"I'll get us tickets. You going to be okay for a few minutes?" Happy asked as he stood up. Scarlett nodded and moved to lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Happy glanced back at her and frowned before heading off to find Juice.

Scarlett couldn't feel anything emotionally or physically. She watched as Jax hurried in the room and pulled her into his arms, but she didn't feel any of it. His mouth moved with words that didn't reach her ears. He frowned and held her closer to his chest.

"Juice, I need to get to Georgia today. Two tickets. I don't care how much they are, just put them on this." Happy smacked his one credit card that he kept for emergencies on the desk in front of Juice and waited. Juice gave him a questioning look for a split moment before hopping online and doing as he was told.

"Hap, we've got church in ten." Clay announced as he walked inside the clubhouse. Happy shook his head without looking at his club's president.

"I'm going out of town. Don't know when I'll be back." He said before Clay could ask. The harsh words stopped Clay in his tracks.

"What's going on, Happy? You need somewhere to lay low?" Clay's mind raced through reasons the killer would have to go into hiding. As well as he could recall, he hadn't done anything particularly heinous recently.

"Going to Georgia. Scarlett's mom is either dead or dying. She won't say." He turned his attention back to Juice as the tickets and receipt started printing out. He suffered through a bit of sticker shock, but knew it was worth whatever he had to pay.

"Alright brother, church can wait. Juice, go round everybody up so we can escort them to the airport. I want Tig and Jax up front with me. Five minutes and we're rolling out." Clay barked at the prospect that was already on his feet and heading out to the garage.

"Appreciate that, Prez." Happy called over his shoulder as he hurried back to his dorm to throw some clothes in a bag. Scarlett was curled up in Jax's lap with a hollow look in her eye. Happy nodded at his younger brother and tore his room apart as he crammed clothes into his bag. He wasn't happy about unloading his gun, but knew he'd never get through security with it loaded and on him.

"Scarlett, we gotta get on the road. Our plane leaves in a couple hours." Happy said as he looked into his daughter's eyes for any sign of understanding. He noticed Jax tense a little as Scarlett nodded and rose to her feet.

"Give me a couple minutes." She said to both of them as she headed into the bathroom. Happy nodded and grabbed Jax under the arm to drag him out to the hallway.

"Clay wants you up front with him and Tig. Any fucking car gets in front of us, we go around it. I don't have time for traffic." Happy growled as he let go of Jax's arm.

"What's going on, Hap? She was fine an hour ago. Shit, she was going to call her mom." Jax's eyes flashed with realization as Happy nodded solemnly. Jax squared his shoulders and nodded.

"I'm going with you." He called over his shoulder as he went to track down Juice so he could get on that damn plane with them. He hadn't been off the West Coast in years and hated planes, but he wanted to be there for her.

"Figured you'd want to go. Pass me a card and you're on." Juice reached out towards Jax, who was pleasantly surprised by the prospect's quick thinking. He passed him a credit card before rushing into his own dorm to pack.

Ten minutes later, the Redwood charter of the Sons of Anarchy were lined up with Happy behind the wheel of the Jeep. Clay, Jax and Tig were up front followed by the jeep and Chibs, Piney, Bobby. Juice was driving the wrecker to haul Jax's bike back.

They navigated their way around the other motorists on the highway and made the hour drive in under forty five minutes. Happy barely looked at the road throughout the whole drive. Scarlett noticed him staring at her, but didn't mind enough to comment on it.

Tig pulled Scarlett into his arms for a hug before she headed into the airport with Jax and Happy. The whole club looked on with respect until the three of them were out of sight. Had she not been so numb, she may have been moved by the outpouring of love from the normally gruff biker family.

Happy grew increasingly uncomfortable in the airport as they moved further and further into the crowd of people looking for their terminals. Naturally, he and Jax were both pulled aside to go through a more thorough security screening. His eyes flicked from one side of the room to the other as he looked for any type of threat.

"Guess we could have left the kuttes behind." Jax scoffed as he stepped out of the TSA office. Happy shrugged and straightened the leather kutte on his back.

"I could have gone by myself." Scarlett's voice surprised Happy and Jax as they sat down on the plane. She was staring past Jax and out of the window. She felt overprotected with her father on one side and Jax on the other. The other passengers definitely paused when the walked past them to find their own seats.

"Here, take this and it'll knock your ass out until we land." Happy said as he offered her a white pill he'd gotten from Tig. Scarlett didn't question him or hesitate before popping the medicine in her mouth and swallowing it down, despite not having anything to drink. She was out before the plane taxied out to the runway.

"You think she's going to be okay?" Jax asked as he looked over at Happy. Scarlett's head was rested on her father's shoulder with her hair covering her face like a curtain.

"She's a Lowman. She'll be fine. Might take some time but yeah. She'll be okay." Happy spoke quietly to avoid the chance of disturbing her. Tig had promised she'd be out cold, but he didn't want to risk it.

"I get that she's tough, Hap. You gotta remember she's not you." Jax said cautiously. Happy scowled over at him.

"You think I don't fucking know that? Don't push it, Jax." Jax shook his head and ran his hand through his oiled back hair.

"I'm just saying she might need more time to be okay. I love her, Hap. You're her dad but you can be a hardass. Just don't push her." Jax kept his voice even and tried to avoid pissing Happy off further.

"Sure." Happy grunted before leaning his seat back. He didn't appreciate his daughter's boyfriend lecturing him, but he was also his brother and SAMCRO's heir apparent. The best plan he had was to pretend to be asleep so Jax wouldn't share any more tips or wisdom.


	20. Chapter 20

"Turn left on Willow St." Scarlett said as she rubbed her eyes underneath her sunglasses. The sun was rising and her head was fuzzy from the pills on the plane. Happy had refused to let her drive, even if she was the only one who knew where they were going. He turned down Willow Street and slowed down.

Scarlett pointed at the driveway coming up on the left. Happy glanced over at her and raised his brow. The driveway was lined with huge white blossomed trees that blocked the view of the house from the main road. He drove down the gravel drive slowly as the brick plantation house came into view.

"Just park by my Jeep." Scarlett muttered as she unbuckled. Jax hopped out of the rental suv first and opened the door for Scarlett. They left the bags in the back as she led him towards the house, holding his hand tightly. She stopped on the bottom step and looked back for Happy.

"You coming?" She called as he leaned against the driver's door and patted his jeans for a lighter. He grimaced a little at the idea of going inside, but decided to do it for Scarlett. He put the unlit cigarette back in the pack and caught up with she and Jax.

"Damn." The word slipped out of Jax's mouth before he could stop it. Scarlett had opened the door and revealed the huge staircase and entrance to her mother's house. She glanced over at him and shrugged. A Hispanic woman in an apron emerged from the kitchen and ran to Scarlett.

"Scarlett! Como estas? Te extrañé, chica." Margo wrapped her arms around Scarlett and tried not to cry. Scarlett smiled and hugged her back briefly.

"Bien, mas o menos. Dónde está mi madre?" Scarlett asked as she looked away from Margo. The older woman's tears were too much to handle. Margo nodded and pointed upstairs.

"You two can stay down here for a minute. I'm going to let her know you're hear before you come up." Scarlett was looking at Happy but addressing them both. The men nodded and watched Scarlett take a deep breath before heading up the staircase slowly.

"I'll get you all some tea." Margo said with a smile. Jax raised his brow as Happy nodded.

"Why were they speaking Spanish if she knows English?" Jax asked curiously. Happy shrugged and took a seat on a stair step. Margo returned with two tall glasses of tea and a smile. Happy took a quick drink of his before setting on beside him and spinning the reaper ring on his finger.

Scarlett was standing outside of her mother's room with her hand on the closed door. She was gathering her thoughts and preparing for the worst to avoid breaking down at the sight of Mariah. She finally knocked on the door softly.

"Scarlett?" Mariah called out as loudly as she could, but it was almost a whisper. The door to her bedroom opened and she smiled, happy to see her daughter at last. She was dressed in tight jeans, a Harley Davidson t-shirt and black boots with her hair cascading down her back. Mariah couldn't remember seeing her look so grown up before she'd gone to California.

"Hey, mom." Scarlett's voice sounded a little hollow as she leaned down and hugged Mariah gently. It was easy for her to tell that Scarlett was doing her best to hold back any emotion.

"I'm so sorry, Scarlett. I shouldn't have lied to you." Mariah said, using a large amount of her energy to stroke Scarlett's soft hair. Scarlett caught her mother's hand and sat it back down on the sheets covering her.

"There's no use apologizing. What's done is done. I'm here now." Scarlett spoke softly and tried to keep her voice from cracking. Her mother was pale and seemed so fragile.

"You look good, baby. How's California?" Mariah asked with a weak smile. Scarlett nodded and smirked a little.

"Hasn't fallen off the continent yet. I like it though." Scarlett threw out the joke for Mariah's benefit. It made her feel good to see her mom laugh a little.

"How's you father?" Mariah asked to prod Scarlett into conversation. Scarlett laughed a little and moved her hair behind her ear.

"Downstairs with my boyfriend. They wouldn't let me come alone." Scarlett said with a little shrug. Mariah's eyes opened wide at the news. She hadn't expected that.

"I know I look horrible. Would it be okay if I met him, before." Mariah's voice caught. Scarlett bit her bottom lip to stop the tears as she nodded. She stood up and headed out to the hallway.

"Come on." She called down the stairs. Jax nodded and nudged Happy who had been drifting off with his head against the wall. He stirred and stood up, running a palm over his face as he led Jax up the stairs.

He stepped aside and let Jax go ahead of him. He stopped and leaned against Mariah's door jam as Scarlett and Jax walked further inside. He kept his eyes on the hardwood floor.

"Mom, this is Jax." Scarlett said as she and Jax stopped beside Mariah's bed. Mariah smiled up at Jax as he stood with his arm wrapped around her daughter's waist. Mariah couldn't help but notice how much happier Scarlett looked, just having Jax by her side.

"So, you're the one that gave my daughter a joint?" Mariah asked with a wink. Jax laughed uncomfortably and nodded. Mariah nodded and smiled.

"It's okay, Jax. I know she's smoked before that. It's nice to meet you. I can see you make my daughter happy." She said as Jax nodded.

"She's a special woman. I see where she gets her good looks." Jax said with his normal charm returning. Scarlett laughed as a little color rose in Mariah's cheeks.

"I think her dad may have helped with that a little." Mariah said with a nod towards Happy. At her words, Happy looked up at saw her for the first time in over eighteen years. She was still beautiful, even if the life was draining out of her quickly. Happy's chest tightened as Scarlett looked back at him.

"Mom, I'm going to show Jax around the house. You two play nice." Scarlett said before leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. She drug Jax out of the room quickly before either of her parents could object.

"Happy, I'm not contagious. You can come in." Mariah said, attempting to sit up a little against her pillows. Happy sighed and walked forward.

"You're going to hurt yourself. Just relax, Mariah." Happy's voice was low and gravelly. Mariah gave up trying to reposition and turned her head to look at him. He was obviously older than he was when she'd last seen him. At the time, he had a full head of black hair and fewer tattoos. His eyes were the same though; they were always the same.

"You must really care about her to leave the West Coast." Mariah said with a smile. Happy scowled and shook his head.

"She's my daughter. I wasn't going to let her deal with this alone." He avoided Mariah's eyes as he spoke. He hated seeing her like this when he remembered her as a spunky, lively teenager much like Scarlett.

"I know, Happy. She's our little girl. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before. There are so many things I would have done differently." Mariah felt tears start rolling down her cheeks. Happy's eyes flicked over to hers as he shook his head.

"Don't Mariah. No matter what you should or shouldn't have done, it all turned out okay. Scarlett is damn near perfect." Happy said, surprising himself by resting a hand over Mariah's.

"You've got to promise me she'll follow her dreams, Happy. If that means going to college then fine. I don't think it does though. Don't let her give up on her dreams for anything." Mariah's voice faded a little, as she grew more tired. Happy nodded silently. Her shallow breaths steadied as she fell asleep. Happy leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before walking out of the room.

His throat felt like it was on fire as he tried to swallow back tears. The woman he had just left in that room was not only the mother of his child, but the only woman he'd ever considered settling down with. Even though he'd been young and reckless, she had wormed her way into his heart and never fully left.

Happy headed down the stairs and out of the front door as quickly as he could. He lit up a cigarette and took a long drag. He knew what dying looked like, having been responsible for several deaths himself. Watching the light fade and flicker in Mariah's eyes hit him hard, but regardless of his own pain, he knew it would be even worse for their daughter.

He pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the tears falling down his face and sat down on a wooden rocking chair. He took several deep breaths before finally regaining his icy composure. Luckily, Scarlett and Jax didn't walk up until a couple minutes later.

"Scarlett, go be with your mom baby. We'll be down here." Happy said as he stood and hugged Scarlett to him. She looked up at him sadly before pressing her face into his chest. He flicked the cigarette away and put a comforting hand on the back of her head as he felt her sob into the leather of his kutte.

"I can't do this, Dad." Her voice cracked as she tried to control her tears. Happy kissed the top of her head before pushing her back a little. He looked down into her eyes.

"You have to, Scarlett." His expression was void of any emotion as his chest felt like it was going to explode from holding it all in. Scarlett looked into her father's eyes and nodded, mimicking his stoic face.

She nodded to him as she pulled out of his arms and straightened her shirt. She gave Jax's hand a short squeeze before heading upstairs alone. Happy sat down on the step again and lit up another cigarette before offering Jax one. The younger Son took one and sat down next to the somber Tacoma killer and waited.

"Mom?" Scarlett whispered as she sat down on the bed next to Mariah. Her eyes opened slowly as the corners of her mouth curled upwards into a smile.

"Baby, you're a beautiful woman. I hope you know how proud I am of you." Mariah's voice was faint. Scarlett held her mother's hand and nodded.

"You have to live your life baby. Make mistakes and do great things. Just remember you'll always be loved. I may not be there but I love you. Your father does to." Mariah struggled to speak as her breathing became more labored. Scarlett allowed her tears to flow down her cheeks silently.

"I love you, Mom. I'll be okay. You did a good job." Scarlett smiled through her tears as she brushed her hand over her mother's hair. Mariah smiled and nodded once. Scarlett knew it was time as a peace seemed to wash over her.

"You can let go, Momma. You don't have to fight anymore." She barely felt Mariah squeeze her hand before she took her final breath.

Scarlett held onto Mariah's hand as it went slack. She hung her head and shuddered with one more sob. With a deep breath, she rose to her feet and gently placed her mother's hand on her still stomach. She leaned down and kissed her cooling cheek before turning the bedside lamp off and leaving the room.

Happy had just finished his last cigarette when he heard Scarlett's boots on the wooden stairs. He stood up and watched as she walked out of the house. His eyes met hers and he knew Mariah was gone.


	21. Chapter 21

Scarlett stood in front of the mirror and looked into her own, dark eyes lined with black eyeliner. She was dressed in a black lace top, dark jeans, and black boots. Her eyes moved to Jax's reflection as he walked up behind her. She gave him a weak smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Your dad's back." Jax said softly. Scarlett nodded and picked up the black bandana and wrapped it over hair. She took Jax's hand and they headed downstairs. Jax grabbed his kutte from the hook by the door and headed out to help Happy unload the bikes.

Per Happy's request, Clay had reached out to a local MC and arranged for he and Jax to borrow a couple of their shop's bikes. Scarlett raised her brow at the third bike on the back of the flatbed. Happy let Mike, the local MC president, finish unloading the last bike with Jax.

"What's the third bike for?" Scarlett asked as Happy stopped by her side and looked out at the driveway. She looked up at him and watched him smile.

"You wanted to ride. I thought it might be time you have your own bike though." Happy held out the keys to the black, 2003 Harley Davidson Iron 883 Custom. Scarlett took the keys slowly.

"Wait, so it's mine? It's not borrowed?" She said with wide eyes. Happy shook his head and pulled her under his arm. She bounced a little, showing the first signs of her old self in three days.

"Go ahead." Happy said with a laugh as he let her go. Jax laughed as she skidded to a stop in the gravel driveway. She walked around the bike three times before finally sitting on it. She put her feet on the pegs and her hands on the handlebars with a smile. It felt right.

Jax and Happy thanked Mike again before getting ready to leave. Happy grabbed a helmet bag out of the Scarlett's jeep and tossed it to her. She shook her head at the onslaught of gifts she was getting. She pulled the helmet out and smiled.

The matte black exterior of the helmet never hinted at the bright pink interior liner. She buckled the strap under her chin and started her bike. The engine sounded strong and solid as she felt the familiar vibrations under her seat. Happy and Jax exchanged smirks before starting the Dynas as following Scarlett down the driveway.

They pulled into the funeral home parking lot after taking the long way around town. Scarlett had enjoyed feeling the wind in her face and the road beneath her to take her mind off where they were headed. The high kept her mood almost level as she shut the engine off and swung her leg over the bike. Happy and Jax walked on either side of her as she walked through the double doors of the funeral home. The visitation room was full of friends from school and people around town. All eyes were on the three of them as they walked inside. Scarlett regretted not having the choice to have a quiet memorial at home.

"I'm guessing you left the weed in Charming." She muttered to Jax as he rubbed her back. He smiled a little and nodded. She rolled her eyes playfully at him as Lisa, Megan's mother, walked up to her.

"Scarlett, honey, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you're going through." Her southern drawl seemed almost foreign to Scarlett's ears as she hugged her tightly. She patted her back and nodded with a polite smile.

"Thanks, Lisa. This is my dad, Happy." Scarlett gestured towards the scowling Happy. He was anxious about the amount of people in the room. He gave Lisa a quick nod before returning to scanning the room with his eyes.

"This is my boyfriend Jax. Jax, this is Megan's mom, Lisa." Scarlett said with a smile. Jax shook Lisa's hand with a bright smile. Lisa seemed a little uncomfortable, but smiled all the same.

Megan made a quick appearance and hugged Scarlett tightly. They hadn't spoken since she'd left California and Scarlett wasn't in the mood to smooth things over at the moment. After the viewing ended, everyone filed out to the funeral procession. Per Mariah's request, there was no service as she and Scarlett weren't religious.

"We have the family limo ready, Ms. Jensen." The funeral director said, motioning towards the double doors leading out to the hearse and limo. Scarlett shook her head as Happy helped her into her leather jacket.

"It's Lowman and we don't need the limo. Take it out of the processional." She said as she headed towards the front door. The director followed her urgently.

"Ma'am, are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable in the limo?" He called out as Scarlett sat down on her bike. She laughed and nodded.

"I'm positive." She called out to him as she started the engine. Jax and Happy did the same and flanked her as she rode around the lot and stopped behind the limo. She started growing agitated as it sat there.

"Scarlett." Happy said as she kicked her stand down and hopped off her still running bike. She ignored him as she took her sunglasses off and stormed up to the limo driver. She tapped on the window with her knuckle.

"Ms. Jensen? Are you ready?" The driver asked with a smile. Scarlett laughed and shook her head.

"Do people normally wear helmets in the limo? Get the fucking cage out of the way. No one is using it." Scarlett growled as she gestured up at her helmet. The man looked in his side mirror and saw her empty bike and Happy and Jax. He nodded with a scoff and started pulling the limo out of the way.

"Feel better?" Happy asked with a smirk as Scarlett put her glasses back on and remounted her bike. She smiled over at him and nodded. He knew she was lashing out from pain, so decided not to bitch at her for overreacting.

Once the limo was out of the way, she nodded at the hearse driver who had been watching her through the mirror. He tipped his hat and started the engine before pulling out slowly. Scarlett and Happy rode side by side with Jax following slightly behind them.

The burial was harder to cope with than the visitation. Scarlett kept her eyes covered by her sunglasses to hide her tears. Lisa spoke a few kind words along with a few other family friends. The director asked Scarlett if she'd like to say anything. She shook her head silently.

At the end, Scarlett stepped out from her spot between Happy and Jax and approached the grave. She took a deep breath as she scooped up a handful of dirt. She held it over the black casket and let it fall down in a slow trail as she spoke her silent farewells. She knew this was one of the last times she would be at the gravesite.

The rest of the day was spent turning away food from neighbors and speaking to the family lawyer. Scarlett signed off on her inheritance of the house, vehicles, and stocks in family businesses. She assigned Lisa the task of selling the house and cars, much to the lawyer's surprise. She decided to keep the stakes in the businesses, but was adamant that she would remain a silent partner only.

Happy sat on the front porch with Jax as Scarlett got ready to head out to dinner the day after the funeral. He'd grown pretty fond of sitting on the porch and made a mental note to get outdoor seating when they got back to Charming. Mike had already picked the borrowed bikes up, so they were just waiting on Scarlett who was slow to get ready, as per normal.

Jax whistled at Happy to get his attention as a gray pickup truck pulled up and almost hit Scarlett's bike. Happy scowled and threw his hands up as he rose to his feet. She'd purposely parked it next to her Jeep so no guests would bother it.

"Uh, Scarlett home?" Johnny asked as he jogged up to the front porch. Happy narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

"Who are you?" He growled at the young man who had almost wrecked into a ten thousand dollar bike. Johnny took a step back and looked up at Happy.

"Johnny. Scarlett's boyfriend." He said arrogantly. A dark grin grew over Happy's face as Jax took a step forward. He remembered Scarlett telling him about this prick over dinner one night, so watching Jax grip his ka-bar pleased him.

"Wrong. Scarlett dumped your ass for being a dick. You want to rethink that answer?" Jax growled as Johnny raised his brow.

"We'll be fine. I heard she was back from California. Didn't realize she'd brought trash back with her." Johnny said, puffing his chest out at Jax. Happy beat Jax to the draw. He had Johnny's back shoved up against a white column with his forearm against his throat.

"Dad, murders dramatically reduce property values." Scarlett's voice rang as she walked out of the front door. Jax smirked as she gave him a quick but sexy kiss. She huffed and left Jax's side as Happy continued to creatively threaten Johnny.

"Dad." She said, tapping his shoulder. He rolled his eyes and dropped Johnny, keeping his knife in his hand. Scarlett folded her arms across her chest and looked at Johnny.

"You sure pissed them off quickly. Why are you here?" She growled as she tossed her Jeep keys to Happy. Johnny straightened his collar and stood up straight.

"I heard you were back in town and just wanted to talk to you and apologize in person." Johnny said with a scowl. Scarlett shook her head as she walked past him towards her Jeep.

"I'm only back for my mother's funeral and to settle some stuff. I'm going back to California tomorrow. Bye, Johnny." She threw over her shoulder as she climbed up in the passenger seat. Jax laughed as he and Happy headed out to join her.

"Bye, Johnny." Happy said, lunging at him a little and smirking when he jumped back. Jax hung back as Happy climbed in the driver's seat.

"You try calling, texting, emailing or visiting Scarlett again and I'll kill you." Jax growled as he slapped a hand on Johnny's shoulder. The dangerous glimmer in his eyes seemed to back his words up enough to get the message through to Johnny. He gave him one final nod before climbing into the backseat of the Jeep.


	22. Chapter 22

"Dad, you awake?" Scarlett said as she knocked on the door to the guestroom Happy had been staying in. She heard a groan and some shuffling before the door opened. The pillow lines on his face made it obvious she'd woken him up.

"Yeah, you okay?" Happy rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. Scarlett was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. It was the first time he'd seen her in something other than black since they got to Georgia.

"I'm fine. I know we're leaving later, but I was wondering if you'd take a walk with me. It's not far, I just wanted to show you something before we leave." She hooked her thumbs in her belt loops and looked up into Happy's eyes. He nodded, even though he'd barely slept last night.

"Sure, give me a minute." Happy gave her a half smile before closing the door to get ready. Scarlett headed downstairs, unconsciously walking through all of the rooms on the main floor as if to say goodbye. Her chest tightened as she paused in the sitting room that Mariah always loved to sit and read in.

"Scarlett?" Happy couldn't help but notice the sadness in her eyes as she turned around and looked at him. She nodded silently and headed towards the back door. Happy followed, slightly surprised Jax wasn't with them. Since arriving in Georgia, she seemed to have stayed by his side.

Scarlett led Happy across the backyard and down a trail in the thick woods. They walked for several minutes before Scarlett turned right, off the trail. Happy regretted leaving his kutte at the house as briars snagged his shirt. He was digging a thorn out of the fabric and almost right into Scarlett's back.

He looked around and raised his brow in surprise. She'd taken him to a clearing with a stream running through the middle. There were colorful flowers on the side closest to them, along with a long log sitting at the edge. Happy watched Scarlett take a deep breath before walking over and sitting on the log.

"This is where I used to come when I was mad at my mom. She'd get so mad because I would just disappear for hours in the middle of a fight." Scarlett explained as Happy stood next to her. He looked down and realized her eyes were focused on the running water.

"When I was little, I'd yell at you here." Scarlett tossed a rock into the water and laughed a little when it splashed.

"The first time was after a father-daughter dance in first grade. Everyone was talking about their dresses and making drawings to hang up in the gym. Mom talked the principal into letting her come with me, but I didn't want to go. She put me in this white lace dress that I hated and she just kept saying that I would have a good time." Scarlett threw another rock into the water, harder this time. Happy sighed and sat down next to her. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Did you go?" Happy asked, wondering exactly where she was going with this.

"First graders don't really make the rules, Dad. Yeah, she dragged me to it. As soon as we walked in I started feeling sick. Mom asked me where my drawing was and I started crying. She got embarrassed or something and brought me home. I took off into the woods and found this place." Scarlett laughed a little before continuing.

"That damn dress was covered in mud and ripped to hell by the briars. Once I got here though, I stopped crying. Something about the sound of the water or maybe the flowers just made me stop. I remembered Lisa telling me that my dad was in heaven. For a first grader that had never been to church, I figured that meant you were in the clouds. So, I yelled at the clouds. I was so mad at you for not being there and leaving me with Mom. I was mad because you didn't come to my dance or play Santa on Christmas morning." Scarlett looked at Happy for the first time since sitting in front of the stream. His eyes were focused on her and his mouth was downturned into almost a frown.

"I'm sorry. I know that doesn't make it any better." Scarlett shook her head at Happy's words and leaned into him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I didn't bring you out here to make you feel bad, Happy. I wanted to show you this so you know how glad I am to have you now. Those dances and shit don't matter now. If anything, you not being around made me stronger. I love being your daughter and my new family in Charming." Happy nodded and Scarlett fell silent.

"But you have to go." Happy provided the words that were stuck in Scarlett's throat. She let out a sigh and nodded slowly. Happy shook his head and kissed the top of her head.

"Scarlett, it doesn't matter if you live in Charming or China, you're still my baby girl. You're always going to have a home to come back to. I'd be pissed if you stuck around and turned into some old lady at eighteen or twenty even." Scarlett noticed that, for the first time, Happy's smile reached his eyes as he spoke.

"I'll still be around for a few weeks. I've got contracts and stuff to sign before I go." Scarlett felt lighter than she'd expected to. She had been worried about hurting Happy, but he was obviously as tough as he looked.

"I'm proud of you, Scarlett. I thought I was going to have to kick your ass out of Charming." Happy said with a laugh as she stood up. She laughed and shook her head.

"I would have liked to see you try, old man." Scarlett dodged Happy's attempt to pull her into a headlock.

"You told Jax yet?" Happy hated talking about their relationship or whatever it was, but he needed to know. She looked back at him as they got back on the trail.

"Yeah, he knows. He wants to do the whole long distance thing and visit sometimes." Scarlett said with a smirk. Happy kept his mouth shut as he nodded slowly.

"I'm not stupid, Happy. I know that wouldn't work even if there weren't sweetbutts and croweaters all over the place. I told him that, but he still wants to try. I'm not going to give up without trying, but I know it won't work and it'll hurt like hell." Happy grunted as Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. She didn't tell him that it already hurt and that she loved Jax, but he knew by the look in her eye.

The next three weeks seemed to fly by as Scarlett was busy with contracts and scheduling and the club started having problems with the Chinese. Scarlett had refused a huge goodbye party at the clubhouse. Instead, she and Happy ate at the diner just like they did when she first came to town.

Scarlett sat down in the booth across from her dad and winced a little. He laughed as shook his head as he pushed the menu away. Scarlett scowled at him before the waitress took their order.

"You should have got it some where else. I told you to put it on your back, kid." Happy smirked as Scarlett flipped him a bird. Two days ago, Happy had tattooed Scarlett's ribs with a note Mariah had mailed her. Scarlett had found it in the pile of mail and decided to make it last forever.

She smiled at her dad as she sipped on her water. She knew the five-hour ride would kill her side and she'd miss Charming, Jax, and Happy, but like the note said:

Home may seem so far away, but it's always in your heart.


	23. Author's Note

**Well everybody, that's a wrap on So Far Away. With that being said, there will be a sequel! I had originally planned on doing some post-leaving one shots, but I decided a sequel was what I really wanted to do. SO, with that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this story and aren't tired of Scarlett and Happy just yet! The sequel is going to be named: Two Pieces**


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